Tales of the Abyss: Seal of Oblivion
by HappyStab
Summary: Jude Haefner, a soldier from the Oracle Knights, loses her memory and is forced to work with Asch the Bloody to get it back. This is just the beginning of her adventure with the ToA cast. Main characters: Jude & Asch.
1. Chapter 1: Loss

**Woohooo! First chapter! I've been working on this for a few days now and I had the courage to post it today! I want to thank my friend LifeEqualsMusic, an awesome beta reader, who is helping me a lot with this story, seriously I love you! :D**

**IMPORTANT:This story begins just a few days before the real game starts! And the main characters is Jude (along with Asch), you'll get to know her when you start reading!**

**I don't own Tales of the Abyss, just my dear Jude. :P *Re-uploaded since it turned out crappy at first, not beta***

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><p><strong>Tales of the Abyss: Seal of Oblivion<strong>

Even if the world's end is prophesized,  
>I want to hold on to this final hope.<br>We promised that day, at that place,  
>together, for our future…<p>

This sadness filled and empty reflection,  
>is compensation for my breaking and dying heart…<p>

For all of these years, your hand continued to wander.  
>The degraded me is pulled into an eternal sleep…<p>

Going along my shivering finger tip is an Ephemeral Wish,  
>the spell it wrote is shining.<p>

These tears will never dry up,  
>they'll just flow into tomorrow and die…<br>I awakened that day, at that place,  
>together, for our future…<p>

One day I'll release these words,  
>it's the story that will save us.<br>The shape reflected in the mirror, is a Shining Light.

Endless Tears by Ayane (translated lyrics)

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><p>Chapter 1: Loss<p>

Everything was covered in darkness, it was endless, and I couldn't tell where the floor or the ceiling was, no sounds and no light. Nothing. I tried moving my legs but my muscles felt heavy, I tried talking but nothing came out. What is this place?

My heart started racing, I tried moving my head but nothing happened, I couldn't even blink or scream. W-What the hell is going on? I can't…why? I tried once again but nothing changed, the darkness was still there, deathless and incalculable. Crap, I knew it, I knew it, I'm dead, damn it! B-but why? What happened?

I took a deep breath; my heart was racing even faster, slamming against my chest. Ok, calm down, relax, I have to think clearly…What was the last thing I did? I thought for a moment but nothing came to my mind. O…kay….I c-can't remember. Calm down… I meant to say my name but I realized I may have forgotten it too.

Oh shit, no, no, no! This one should be simple, my name, what's my name? My throat was dry, my muscles felt heavier than before. My head was starting to spin and breathing became difficult. I fell back, to my surprise the darkness was soft, and I bounced over it. I had stopped breathing now; there was pressure around my neck, like someone choking me.

No…I don't want to die! Let go off me! But the pressure was still there, suffocating, I stopped trying, I felt weak, no air in my lungs. My arms and legs, pinned to the darkness beneath me. If I'd any chances from escaping they had now reduced to zero, I could no longer form a coherent thought. Please…

I didn't feel the necessity of breathing anymore, the darkness started to dissipate over me. The thick darkness turned into thin clouds and an intense yellow light shined behind them. The light started to descend slowly until it was too close to see the darkness anymore. Since I couldn't close my eyes the light burned them, the intensity of the light was stronger in my left eye. My body started trembling and every part of my body was burning.

The pain was unbearable and for once in this crazy dream I was able to move, my eyes shot open and I rose abruptly with a gasp. Unluckily, there were no windows and the room was a little dark, not dark as the endless dark matter that had been surrounding me before but it was still dusky.

I was on a bed. The room was somehow brightened by the lanterns on the walls. My eyes stopped scanning when I meet a really unexpected pair of eyes. The man was sitting in a chair, at the right side of the bed. The first thing that came to my mind was… pineapple. Maybe because his hair was tied into a pony tail, his brown messy bangs made his head look like a pineapple. Maybe I'm just hungry.

He grinned, it almost made me shiver. "How are you feeling?"

"I…w-what happened?" was the only thing I managed to spit.

"You fell off a cliff, don't you remember?" His tone was serene.

"I what?"

He rose from his sit, his ponytail swung with the movement. "Jude, calm down."

"J-Jude? Is that my name?" I asked uneasily, anxiety pressing on my chest.

"Oh dear…" His eyes fell with genuine disappointment. "Yes, your name is Jude," He glanced up again. "Jude Haefner."

"I-I can't remember anything, how did it happen?" I asked, rubbing my left eye, still stinging a little from the intense light that had burned it not so long ago.

"Apparently a pack of monsters were following you, at least that's what one of my subordinates said. She saw you fall." His dark azure eyes searched mine, glint of hope on them.

I extended my arms and legs to look for any injure, which I didn't have, "But I'm not injured."

"You were lucky my subordinate was there, also you have been sleeping for a few days now." He explained crossing his arms.

"Oh…excuse me but, how do you know my name?"

"You were part of the Oracle Knights, a soldier." He muse waiting for my reaction. "A skilled one I must say."

"You knew me before this happened?" He nodded slowly. "I'm sorry sir, I can't remember your name, and actually I can't remember anything you have said."

He smiled, barely, "I'm Vandesdelca, Van for short, Commandant of the Oracle Knights, also commander of the Six God-Generals within the Order of Lorelei." I was surprise to understand what he was saying; it looked like I hadn't lost all of it. That could only mean I was in Daath now, headquarters to the Order of Lorelei.

Testing my own knowledge I asked, "Fon Master Ion is the leader of the Order of Lorelei, right?" He smiled pleasantly and nodded.

"I'm sure you will recover your memory very soon." Van took a few steps back without turning around. "In the meantime, I will assign one of my subordinates to take care of you."

"Isn't it too much attention for a soldier?" I shook my head, "I'm sure I may remember something if I just look around, besides I don't want to bother."

To this, he laughed out loud, he didn't even try to hide it. I crossed my arms and raised a brow, when he stopped he sat on the bed, beside me, "Jude, my friends always deserve attention."

I blinked a couple of times, "I was- I mean, I'm your friend?" He placed a hand on my shoulder and nodded.

"I'm glad you haven't changed one bit. You were the kind of person that doesn't like to be the center of attention whenever something bad happens." He mused.

"Especially if I fell off a cliff…" I sighed. "I just hope it wasn't because I tripped, how embarrassing!" I hissed. He laughed even harder.

"You fell off a cliff, lost your memory but you are afraid about how embarrassing it might have looked?" He laughed again, this time stroking my back a few times pushing me forward; I could feel the heat of embarrassment on my face.

He stood up, "Well, I must return to duty, I'm heading to Baticul, the guards will escort you. My subordinate will help you regain your memory that will be _his_ objective."

Seemed like I would have to stick to this 'subordinate' of his anyway, I rolled my eyes and sighed, "Fine." He smiled triumphantly and patted me in the head a few times, it felt familiar. He head for the door.

"W-Wait, Commandant!" He turned slowly.

"You can call me Van." He said. "What is it?"

"Ah, w-well Van, can you tell me how old I am?"

"Seventeen, if I'm correct." He took a few steps forward. "Born in Yulia City." Yulia City? Really? That's the city located in the Qliphoth.

"The 'watcher's home'." I mumbled, he nodded with a grin. He stepped back to reach the door but he stopped.

"Oh, I almost forgot," He took a white letter envelope from behind his white tabard. "Can you give this letter to my pupil once you meet him?" He walked towards me and handed me the letter.

"Umm, sure no problem." I looked at the letter with curiosity. An inner whim made me want to read it.

Van either noticed the glimmering in my eyes or knew me too well, "It would be better if you don't read it. Most of what is writing there is secret information to the Order of Lorelei." He chuckled darkly.

I pouted, "That doesn't help, you know…"

He headed for the door, "I know you will do the right thing." Van replied casually before closing the door behind him. The new silence felt conformable and I fell back on the bed with resignation, I sighed. So, I'm a soldier…that's weird...actually, it sounds cool. But I doubt I'm that "skilled" now… Agh memory loss sucks!

I jumped out of the bed, that's when I noticed I was wearing a dress. A simple white dress that reached my knees with short bellowed sleeves, Ugh what is this? It makes me look…girly. 'Nu uh' not cool, soldiers don't wear this stuff, does that mean someone changed my clothes? The thought made me shiver; hopefully it had been a woman. I looked around the room, the golden flooring had strange brown patterns, and it felt cold under my bare feet.

I wonder where the guards…are.

I snapped out of my thoughts when someone knocked the door, I sauntered to the door and opened it to find two soldiers at the other side of it. Their helmets covered their faces, only darkness could be seen through, creepy! They had spears, why do guards always have spears?

"We are here to escort you Miss Heafner." The voice echoed from one of the guards, not sure which one.

"Alright," I tucked the letter inside the pocket of my dress and followed the guards. The halls were as dark as the room where I had waked up. More lanterns hanged from the walls making the place less spooky, from where we were this place looked like a maze, passages and stairs here and there. There was this strange pressure over my chest, I assumed it had to do with the poor oxygen in this place; this place had to be underground. Meh, I'll get use to it.

The guards guided me through another passage; the dark cobbled floor was colder than I imagined. Both men stopped in front of the elevator, "This way," said…one of them. We climbed in, the cage ascended and they took me to a black door with golden patterns, well, actually, all the doors were like that.

To my surprise the other side was different; it was much brighter, a long hall with lots of doors and lots of those shiny lanterns across the black and gold wallpaper. The floor had the same gold and brown from the room I had seen before. As we walked, one of the doors ahead opened, the small pink haired girl closed the door behind her.

She was dressed in black and held a…stuffed…demonic…doll, hugged around her arms. Jeez, what do kids play these days? Voodoo? The girl ran toward our direction, her eyes locked on me with curiosity as we passed by. I turned my head back; the girl had stopped and kept looking at me with innocent eyes. Wasn't that Arietta the Wild? One of the six God-Generals.

The guards noticed the curiosity that had grown in my eyes but kept walking. What where the name of the other? Largo the Black Lion, Sync the Tempest, Dist the Reaper, Legretta the Quick and…what was the last one?

I snapped out when I heard the guards mumbling one another, though the echoes their helmets created made it easier to hear. "Isn't he going to get mad?"

"I think so, what is the Commandant thinking?"

"I don't know… Maybe Asch already knows." Who the hell is Asch?

"No, no, I'm quite sure he doesn't know he has to take care of her." Oh, he is definitely talking about me, I can sense it!

"What are you talking about?" I spluttered; a murderous look on my face.

The guards stopped walking and twitched. One of them turned around, "It's nothing, Miss Heafner." He took a few steps forward to the last door of the hall and opened it.

I peeked inside; I could see a four-poster bed at the other side. "We are here, Miss, Asch the Bloody's room."

"Wait, what?" I turned my head but an arm pushed me inside and the door closed with a loud thump. I twisted the knob to find out the door had been locked. "Hey! What the fuck is going on?" I slammed my fists on the door.

A muffled, echoed voice answered from the other side, "S-Sorry Miss, the C-Commandant ordered us n-not to let you out of this room until A-Asch comes."

"What?" I kicked the door a few times, "Let me. Out. Of here!" But no matter how much I hit the damn door, it never opened, I ended gasping for air.

"Fucking great!" I ran my fingers through my hair trying to calm down. I took a deep breath and scanned the room. This one was much larger. A large window with a long black window seat at the left, the rays of the sun bathe the dusky room. Well, I suppose I can learn a few things about this Asch guy if I look around.

The bed was large and covered with a neatly folded red quilt with red pillows; the curtains falling from the posts were red too. And the curtains of the window too, ok…I have the slight suspicion that he likes red. Moving on, there was a full-length mirror in a corner, maybe a little narcissist? Then, there was a wooden wardrobe at the right but that's definitely out of my reach. Finally, there was another door beside the wardrobe, I opened it and found a large bathroom, all white and clean, oh a bathtub!

This guy is tidy, everything it's too perfect in this room. I gave up on looking around and sat on the window seat, I curled into a ball and sat across it, I hugged my knees tightly as I looked at the radiant garden outside. Why do I have to be here anyway? How is this guy going to help me? I'd rather be outside in the garden. And how come I remember all the six God-Generals except this one? I shook my head; one of the God-Generals is going to take care of me? Embarrassing.

I sighed, all of a sudden my head started spinning, and I crossed my arms above my knees and sunk my head into darkness. Ugh, why is this happening? I closed my eyes and tried distracting myself; I remembered the letter that it was still tucked inside my pocket, should I read it? I gripped my arms tighter to prevent me from taking out the letter. I sunk my head even more and fell asleep…

"What the hell are you guys doing in my room?" A man hissed from the other side of the door. It caused me to wake up...a little.

"A-Asch…this are orders from the C-Commandant." A frightened guard said.

"What?" Asch grunted. "Get out of the way!"

The door slammed opened, which woke me up completely. My head rose slowly to meet the gaze of two jade orbs, he was by the door, red long hair, his face contorted in a mix of indignation and surprise. My body stiffened with the same posture, I could see the guards had stiffened too, waiting for his reaction outside of the room.

"What is _this_ girl doing here?" He growled looking back at the guards who were shaking with fear.

"T-The Commandant said-" tried one of the guards.

"Silence!" He roared, his green eyes sparkling with anger, "Disappear if you don't want me to stick those spears up your asses!" The guards didn't hesitate and made a run for it. I was still frozen, in the window seat. He stomped towards me; I gulped.

I didn't waste time and took out the letter from my pocket, when he was a few inches away from me I placed it in front of him; he could keep the insults to himself, at least he would see that whatever was going on wasn't my fault.

He snatched the letter from my hand with a glare, Asch the Bloody… It makes sense. He opened the enveloped and unfolded the paper; his eyes scanned it meticulously. My body, which had relaxed a bit, petrified again, more contortion had formed in his face as he kept reading the letter. When he was finished his hands clenched into fists, the letter and envelope crumpled around his fingers.

"What's your name?" He huffed with a dead serious expression on his face.

"Jude Haefner." I replied, I was surprised my voice didn't crack. He frowned suspiciously.

"You are the soldier that fell off a cliff?" This time his voice rang arrogantly.

"Yes." I barked.

He noticed the crude tone in my voice and raised a brow. "So you lost your memory?"

"Yes." I was still there, my hands around my knees. He leaned closer, his eyes focused in my face, like searching for something. He then frowned and shook his head.

"What happened to your eye?" He spat.

It caught me off guard, "What?" He smirked darkly and pointed the full-length mirror a few feet away from us. I stood up and looked at our reflection, my long blue hair and forelocks, I gasp when I saw my right eye was blue but my left eye was yellow.

"I-I didn't know I had two different-colored eyes." I said defensively. His body was still tense, but he wasn't as angry as before. He was wearing leather armor and a tabard, black and red.

"You are pathetic." He concluded, sitting on the window seat.

"Excuse me?" I growled.

"Are you deaf?" He scoffed satirically.

I shook my head with indignation, "You are the guy that is supposed to help me? You are a total jerk."

He laughed mockingly, resting his arm over the window seat, holding his face. "Me? Help you? From what I understood from this letter, you are my new pet."

"What?" I hissed. "Give me that damn letter!" I reached for the crumpled paper on his hand but he pulled it away. I leaned again but he placed his gloved hand on my shoulder to keep me from getting any further. His other hand, the one holding the letter, rose above his head to keep it out of my reach, I stretched my arm trying to grab it but the hand on my shoulder prevented me to get closer.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" He growled. "Don't you know who am I?" My hand locked on his wrist, the one grabbing my shoulder.

"Frankly, I don't care!" I whimpered. "Besides, I lost my memory you moron!" His daring look was replaced by rage, he jumped to his feet without letting me go and twisted my free arm behind my back; the sharp pain made me jolt.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" He forced me out of the room and pushed me through the hall. "Where the hell are you taking me?"

"Out of my sight!" He yelled into my ear. He stopped in front of one of the many doors and opened it. But before he could do anything else I freed myself smashing my elbow against one his ribs as hard as I could, a choking sound escape from his lips and I started running.

"See ya later, sucker!" I laughed triumphantly as I ran away.

He ran after me. "Come back here you little-"

"Sorry, can't hear you!" I snorted, dodging a soldier in the way. Asch pushed the soldier out of his way, the armor of the soldier clattered loudly. Oh, he was really mad, a baleful glare and gritting teeth were proof of it. One of the doors ahead opened, a green haired boy with a mask stuck out his head.

"What the hell is all that noise?" Sync the Tempest hissed, closing the door behind him, he jumped when he spot us running to his direction. "What the-!"

"Sync! Don't let her get away!" Asch ordered, I increased my speed to let Sync know I wasn't planning on stopping now and looked at him with determination.

Sync moved away pressing his back against the wall, "The girl is your problem Asch! Not mine!" I smiled at Sync as I passed by while Asch gave him a murderous look. Sync grinned arrogantly.

A few steps away from the last door, a sudden weight on my waist knocking me on the floor, "Let go!" I grunted. Asch's hands were tightly wrapped around my waist, the whole weight of his body on my legs and his chin pressing on my lower back. Somehow, he was able to pull me up, his arms still around my waist lifting me off the ground. "Hey!"

"The letter said you where difficult, not a crazy hag!" He spluttered, again too loud for my ears.

"No one told me you were a hideous idio-" He covered my mouth with a gloved hand before I was finished. I struggled all the way back, swinging my legs and arms to set me free.

Sync snorted silently and then said, "You've got your hands full, don't you?"

"Shut up." Was Asch's simple, but harsh reply as he dragged me to his room again, I didn't stop squirming or cursing. Nonetheless the hand clapped on my mouth made it sound just like noises, angry muffled noises.

He threw me to the floor; I turned around rubbing my arm, which had smacked on the floor when he tossed me to the floor. "Stay. Here." He growled; his arms were tense; he was definitely losing his patience. "If I see you running again, "He unsheathed the sword from his belt. "I swear I'll live up to my title." The way he said it and the sinister smile on his face made me freeze again. The scared expression on my face was enough for him to know I would stay. He sheathed the sword and closed the door behind him with a glare.

I sat on the window seat again, it was better to stay and see what would happen next. Well, hopefully he wasn't _that_ mad to actually kill me, right? I sighed, what was he going to do when he took me out of the room anyway? I clasped my hands together, playing with my thumbs nervously. I looked up at the window, I hadn't notice it was dark outside until now, had I slept that much?

The door creaked open, it was Asch again, he closed the door behind him. He wasn't glaring now; just an apathetic look on his face. My eyes grew wide when I noticed the pair of shackles in his hand. He locked one of the ends of the chain to one of the front posts of his bed. I shook my head in disbelief and he grinned, taking his sword out again. "Will I have to force you?" He sneered. "Come here, now."

I grit my teeth but step forward. He kneeled to lock the other end around my ankle; I controlled the urge to kick him in the nuts when I felt the blade of his sword brushing against my leg. "Don't try anything stupid or I'll cut your leg off." He threatened. I gulped and let him finished securing the shackle with a lock, he kept the key.

He step away to admire his work with a smug. "Good girl." He scoffed. I crossed my arms and stuck my tongue. He ignored me taking some clothes out of his wardrobe and head for the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I sat in the bed with a grunt, now I was doomed, certainly doomed.

He came out a few minutes later, apparently he had taken a bath. His dark red hair was damped; he wasn't wearing his armor anymore, only his pajamas. His sheathed sword was still in his hand, which left my plan of choking him with a pillow during his sleep, out of the question.

"Pets sleep on the floor." He remarked turning the lights off.

"I'm not your pet, asshole." But I was obviously not going to sleep with him in the same bed so I slipped to sit on the floor, then I remembered the window seat. Unfortunately, the chain was too short it was impossible to reach it; somehow I felt he did it on purpose.

He didn't say anything, he punched his pillow a few times before resting his head over it, sword in hand. I wasn't sure if he was already sleeping but I decided I would sleep curved in a ball as I did before, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me spread on the floor like a dog. I pressed the side of my head to the mattress, it felt uncomfortable and I huffed with indignation.

"Here, shut up." He mumbled throwing one of his pillows in my direction, hitting me on the back of my head. I glared at him but he had already closed his eyes, I took the pillow and placed it between the side of the mattress and my head. The scent of his cologne was impregnated on the pillow. The sweet smell filled my nostrils, "Idiot." I mumbled as I fall asleep, scattered thoughts started to form an image in my head…

-0-0-0-

Memory Fragment: Friends (current age: 7)

She was lying on the grass, on her ankles, her fists clenched over her lap. A hurt expression, not physical pain though, the contortion in her face was different. I don't really blame her; Yulia City is gloomy and lightless. I used to feel like I was going to pass away; this place becomes suffocating, small and claustrophobic from time to time, even though I have lived in this small bubble all my life.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks; I wouldn't have seen them if the selenias weren't so shiny. She curled her back like if something was about to come out from her chest and she sobbed louder. And me being me I couldn't stand it anymore, people always, always told me, keep your nose out of it, don't disturb strangers, stay still, don't do this and don't do that. Hell, everyone was so annoying and without thinking much I approached to her.

The turf snapped as I approached and she looked back rubbing off the tears from her face, I stopped right in front of her.

"You ok?" I leaned forward on my knees. "Why are you crying?"

She rubbed her face again, "I'm not crying!" she sobbed.

"Yes you are." I frowned.

"No, I'm not!" She pouted.

"Yes." I pressed.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

I looked at her in silence before sitting beside her, I wrapped my tiny hands around my knees, and she sniffed a few times oppressing the urge of crying again. "Whatever…"

After another moment of silence she spoke again, "You are that girl, the one that is always making trouble."

"And what if I am?" I looked away with indignation before speaking again, "You are the kind and polite girl, that's what everyone says."

She tilted her head with curiosity, her straight brown hair swung with the movement, but her blue eyes locked on me.

Her gaze become annoying after a moment, "What?"

"It's just…You are the first person to tell me that." She mused, her eyes locked on the selenias this time, we were surrounded by them.

"Oh…" All sights of anger disappeared. "I'm Jude, what is your name?"

"Mystearica."

"Mys-What?" She rolled her eyes with indignation. "Hey, it's hard to pronounce!" I hissed. "Don't you have a nickname?"

"No." she answered drily.

I crossed my arms and pressed my lips thinking, "Mys…tear… ica". Her cerulean eyes locked on me again; this time she changed her posture to face me. "Tear…Tear sounds good!"

"Huh?"

"That's your nickname!" I beamed with a wide smile. She smiled weakly, by now all the tracks of tears had dried; her nose wasn't red as a tomato anymore and neither her eyes. "So, how old are you, Tear?"

"Six." Her tone was soft almost inaudible.

"I'm seven!" In my case I was too loud. Like most children, I loved to point things out, even if I had done it thousands of times. "These flowers are called selenias you know. They only grow in the Qlifloth!"

"You mean the Qliphoth." She corrected with a mocking smile.

"Yeah, that thing!" I nodded with chaff.

"My grandfather told me about them." She cupped a selenia between her fingers and stroked it with care, in a delicate way. I spotted another flower and cut it to place it in her hair.

"It looks good on you, Tear!" A chuckled escaped my lips.

She smiled, this time a wide one and cut the selenia she was stroking, I was taller so she leaned, pressing her knees against the turf to place the flower on my straight blue hair, as my eyes sparked with delight.

"How does it look?" I asked jumping to my feet.

"It looks lovely, Jude." Her eyes were sparkling too, like she had just discovered a treasure. We laughed for a while, mostly her when I told her how I almost fell off the second floor of my house trying to unlock the window.

But her laughter died when I asked her if she would tell me why she had been crying. She bit her lip, her hands clenched into fists again. "It's just… Sometimes I want to see my parents."

I just nodded, with a blank expression. Before I could say anything else she changed the subject. "What about your parents?"

"Oh, I don't know my parents. Though I was born here, Danny found me inside a trash can." Danny, was an elder woman of the city, a friend of Tear's grandfather, Mayor Teodoro. That's how I had heard about Tear and vice versa.

Tear gasped softly, her eyes trailed off to the turf guiltily, which made me feel guilty as well, another awkward moment of silence began. Just when I was about to say something I was cut off by the sound of footsteps.

I turned around, only to find a pair of legs in front of us and brought up my gaze to meet a pair of dark blue eyes. I gasped with surprise, the teenager smiled weakly at my reaction; he was so tall the back of my head touched my shoulder when I looked up. And his hair was the same color as Tear's.

"Vandesdelca…" Tear gasped scrambling to her feet. I looked back to her and then back to him.

"What is it with you people and your complicated names?" I spurned.

That earned me a puzzled expression from him and Tear just giggled. But I ignored it, "Van is shorter and sounds nice."

He smirked at me before turning to Tear again, Van was seventeen at that time.

"You shouldn't run away like that, ok?" Van crouched to pat her in the head. "You could have hurt yourself."

"I'm…I'm sorry." She bowed her head and sighed. "I was just… A little sad." Van chuckled, Tear raised her head with curiosity, and his eyes were focused on the selenia in her hair.

"It looks good." He mumbled stroking one of her bangs above her ear.

"See Tear, I told you!" I puffed up my chest and rested my hands on my waist with triumphant air.

Van's amazement was quickly replaced with a fond smile, one I returned. "Jude Haefner?" I placed my hands behind my back and nodded. He patted my head twice, "Thanks for taking care of her."

"Anytime." I snickered.

"You sure are something..." He snorted.

He stood up before holding Tear's hand, "We have to go back home, _Tear_." I couldn't help but smile. He turned to me again, "We'll see you later Jude." I nodded happily and they started to walk away.

Yulia City is dim but the people of the city compensate it. If people can be happy in this limited space...Then I wondered how people in the outside world live their lives, seeing other places would be fantastic. Tear turn and waved a hand with a chaffing smile, I waved back, _good-bye_.

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><p><strong><span>IMPORTANT:<span> Jude looks like Ami Kawashima from Toradora!(except for the yellow eye ofc), google it you don't know who she is.  
><strong>

**Hopefully you enjoyed reading this first chapter as much as I enjoyed working on it. Please comment!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Soldier's Pride

YAY! Ok, first, this chapter wasn't checked by my dear beta reader (LifeEqualMusic), though she **DID** help me a lot with the story! She has been a little busy. *sad face*

Also, I ALWAYS check for mistakes but I ALWAYS miss one or two, even though I check a hundred times. XD

So, I'm sorry if I missed one, reading twelve pages again and again turns boring but i do my best.

Disclaimer: ToA: NO. Jude: YES.

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><p>Chapter 2: A Soldier's Pride<p>

Tear…Van…I'm starting to remember now. Tear was my friend… I met her ten years ago…

My body was numb; the scent of the cologne was stronger now, even so, I found the smell very pleasant. I can't describe the scent, it was just mesmerizing, what can I say? The bastard has good taste. I rolled to the other side of the bed… Wait, What?

I shot my eyes open, the drowsiness went away immediately. Why am on Asch's bed? I sat up and noticed he had already made the bed; my ankle was still secured to the shackle and to the bed post. My back started to hurt horribly.

I bet Asch noticed my uncomfortable position this morning and said- "You are pathetic." I turned to the bathroom's door with a glare; he had just taken the words out of my... mind. Asch the Bloody was already wearing his leather armor.

"What did I do now?" I barked, even though I knew what he was talking about.

"You know what I'm talking about," He scoffed. "You slept like that out of pride?"

"You would have done the same," I said defensively. "I can see you are high-handed." He raised a brow arrogantly, yeah definitely high-handed.

He said nothing so I continued, "So, can you take it off now?" I raised my bound leg.

He smirked evilly, "I'm sorry but I'm not really planning to help you." He then pointed at the shackle, "That will get you out of my way." And he head for the door.

"W-wait," I jumped out of the bed. "You can't leave me like this!" He waved his hand dismissively not even looking back as he walked to the door. To his surprise, Legretta the Quick was at the other side of the door when he opened it.

"Legretta?" He frowned. Legretta had a small pile of clothes on one of her hands and a pair of short heel ankle boots in her other hand.

"Good morning." She saluted, making her way inside the room, ignoring Asch's glare as she did.

"Jude, right?" Her tone was cold.

"Yes ma'am." I replied blankly.

"Well, take this," She said placing the clothes on my hand. "And this." She placed the boots on top. "Take a shower and wear these clothes." She ordered.

"I would be glad to do it," I began. "But I can't." I said, pointing at the shackle with innocent eyes. Asch glared at me.

Legretta looked down at my feet and then looked at Asch with disapproval, "Why am I not surprised?" She said, mostly talking to herself.

"Tch." Asch looked away. My eyes widen when Legretta took out one of her guns and shoot at the lock of the shackles, the lock flew and landed a few meters away from us, she did it so quickly I didn't have time to complain or scream. I looked at my feet dumbstruck.

"Why the hell are you shooting in my room?" Asch complained angrily. "You could have asked for the god damn key!" I bit my lip trying to oppress the urge I had to laugh my ass off.

"I really don't have time for this." Legretta replied calmly even though Asch was yelling a few inches away from her face. She then turned to me, "Maestro Mohs has set an assignment for all of us, the six God-Generals. Therefore, you'll have to take Jude with us; she is your responsibility after all."

Asch was about to protest when I interrupted, "Honestly, I think Asch isn't mentally capable to help me." Asch huffed. "Besides I'm starting to remember. I remember Van and his sister Tear, she wa- I mean, she is my friend." I smiled fondly at the memory that had played on my head while I was sleeping.

"I see…" She observed, "But these are orders from the Commandant and as a soldier, you must follow these orders, Jude."

"R-right…" I sighed.

"Now, go take a shower and put this on." She commanded pointing Asch's bathroom. Asch only cursed under his breath as I entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

Asch's muffled voice could be heard from the other side, "I suppose you are leaving now…"

"I don't think it'll be proper if you stay here."Legretta said with the same stoic tone in her voice, "I consider you a proper man, but hormones are hormones..." I could imagine her grinning even though her tone was still neutral, and yeah, I could imagine Asch's face contorting with anger.

"F-fine." Asch barked. I proceed to take a bath then, I did it as quickly as possible since Legretta and Asch where waiting for me, and oh, I hate pressure. When I was done I slipped on my undergarments and proceed to slip on the clothes Legretta had brought.

I stared in amazement at the mirror when I was done. A sleeveless black coat, the tails streamed out behind. Underneath, a white, equally sleeveless shirt. The coat was decorated with glinting details of gold and white. Black arm warmers braced by leather straps and white leggings adorned with golden rhombuses. Sleek white ankle boots were arrayed with glistering golden tips on the toes. Finally a leather strand belt hung off my hip.

This is how a soldier should look like! Dashing, even feminine, it was quite balanced. I took another short glance before walking out of the bathroom; Legretta was sitting crossed legged on the window seat while Asch waited near the door, his back pressed against the wall.

"I'm done." I chirped. After all, I was happy I wouldn't have to use that crappy dress anymore!

Legretta nodded and stood up, "The rest of the six God-Generals are waiting at the entrance of the Cathedral, please join them, I'll be there in a minute."

"Yes, ma'am." I answered with a bow.

"Please, call me Legretta." Legretta said torpidly.

"Sure, Legretta." She nodded and left the room.

"Should we get going?" I asked Asch, who had not moved from his place, I was impressed he hadn't said anything hurtful ever since I came out. But he only stared at me, a face I couldn't read, which is weird because he is easy to read.

"Asch?" I tilted my head. He snapped out from whatever train of thoughts had crossed his mind.

"What?" He sounded clueless.

"I said, should we get going?" I repeated. I raised a brown suspiciously, "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let's go." He replied, again in his grumpy mode, walking out of the room. I followed him and closed the door behind me. Since I didn't know where to go I stayed behind. I looked around as we walked, this time when we got out of the hall we took another elevator, and it took us down. Then, we took the stairs; all the way up again, why does this place has to be like a maze?

We kept walking until Asch picked a door at the right; this door took us to another hall with black walls and golden flooring, we took more stairs until we reached the next room, there was another door after this one… Seriously, what the hell?

Thank Yulia, the next hall was the last one, it took us to a spacious lobby, a really spacious one! There were more stairs at the right side but we took the other way instead, the exit. We found the rest of God-Generals there, I don't know why but I started to feel nervous, oh great, my fangirl instincts kicking out.

The first one I spotted was Largo the Black Lion, he is so freaking tall! At his right side was Sync and at his left was Arietta with her demonic, stuffed thingy covering her face except for her eyes. Not so far away was Dist the Reaper floating in his chair, whatever they had been talking about, Dist was laughing the weirdest evil laugh I had ever heard; the others just stared at him with irritation.

Our arrival brought everyone's attention along with curious looks on their faces. At least that's what I could tell from everyone except Sync.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Asch growled. Sheesh! What's wrong with this guy?

I rolled my eyes, "Honestly, can't you just say hello?" Their eyes darted to me.

"Shut it." He snarled and I just shrugged listlessly.

"Well, well, so this is the girl everyone has been talking about!" Dist pushed his chair forward, too close in my opinion. He examined me closely, it was disturbing.

"Will you ever stop being a freak?" Sync crossed his arms and sighed. I didn't' know Sync could read minds.

"You little…" Dist began, though I ignored his rant as Largo stepped forward, I felt insignificant looking all the way up. His thick beard covered most of his face, and his hair was untamed, sticking out in every direction. He towered over me, and my head only came up to the middle of his chest.

"I'm Largo, this is Dist, Sync and Arietta," He pointed each one respectively.

"Oh, I know," I chirped, "It's one of the things I didn't forget."

"Forget?" Arietta mused.

"She lost her memory." Sync clarified, curiosity grew on the young girl's eyes as Dist complained about why no one was listening to him.

"Many would have died from that fall; Jude is your name, right?" Largo looked impressed.

"Yes, Jude Haefner." I replied, "And well, I was lucky not to be alone." I said scratching my head.

"Ah, yes, I also heard the place you fell off is in Mt. Zaleho." He mused scratching his beard.

"Oh, I didn't know that…" I said crossing my arms thoughtfully. Asch was just silent beside me; a not-so-impressed look on his face. We all looked back when Legretta came out; she had a sheathed sword in her right hand and a white letter envelope in her left hand.

"This is your weapon." She explained. "Actually, the uniform you are wearing and this sword were the only things you carried when you fell." I took the sword from the complex hilt and drew it out curiously with my left hand. The blade was slender and sharply pointed, a rapier to be exact. I noticed a carved figure on the thin blade, near the hilt, it had the form of a flower and it looked familiar, almost like a selenia.

I found the sword could be strapped on my strand belt. "This is also yours, a letter from Van; he left it before he returned to Baticul." That's weird; he could have told me before he left. Maybe he forgot. "It's better if you read it once we get to the Oracle ship." I nodded tucking the letter inside the pocket of my coat.

"How do you know these were the only things I carried?" I asked.

"I was the one that saw you fall," She replied somewhat coldly, and I didn't miss Asch glaring daggers at her.

"Oh, thanks." I said with embarrassment.

"You don't have to thank me." She stated. "Now, we need to get to Daath Bay first, I'll explain the rest there, Jude, you stay back if we are attack."

"Okay." That was depressing but Legretta was right, even though this had been mine I had no clue about my artes. Why, from all things I forgot the damn artes? Well, I would have to figure them out on the way.

The six God-Generals were on a whole other level, a pack of brown fiercely wolves attacked us, Largo chopped the beasts easily with his scythe, Legretta shoot them to death, Arietta summoned one of her beastly friends and attacked. Sync kicked their butts with a few punches and kicks, Asch slay them with his sword and Dist would just be there, looking, beside me.

"How come you don't fight?" I asked while the rest took care of the monsters.

"Me? Fight? I'm not like this barbarians, I'm a scientist!" He spat with a pushy tone. "My inventions are the ones that fight for me."

"Right…" I sighed. And here I was wishing to at least draw my rapier, to feel the comforting weight of it in my hand, to twirl it around, even if I wasn't fighting. We kept walking, the green plains and the fresh breeze seemed to comfort me, we crossed a small bridge and the dirty trail continued zigzagging. The condensed forest of pine trees screened whatever was up ahead. Strangely, I felt like in my own habitat, I felt free, independent and wild, nah, scratch that last one. Though I wouldn't expect less if Yulia City was my hometown; I can barely remember anything about it but I do remember how I hated to be separated from the rest of the world, inside a gloomy bubble.

It was true I had remembered Tear and Van but things about them were still hazy. I mean, Tear must have grown up, would I be able to recognize her if I see her again? The only thing I knew was she was a dear friend to me, I can't remember what she likes and what she doesn't. Her favorite color and stuff like that. How can I be her friend without knowing who she really is? What about Danny? I don't know how she looked or my relationship with her.

Van was a friend too but I could feel more affection towards Tear, it's weird to care about someone you barely remember. Where could she be now? Was she ok? Would she know what had happened to me? Many questions started to formulate in my head and not having the answers to these questions was driving me crazy.

"Agh, stop mumbling to yourself!" Asch's roar made me jolt.

"Huh?" I looked back.

"Stop talking to youself, it's annoying!" He snapped.

"Oh," I was too lazy to start arguing now. "Really? You guys heard?" I asked looking at the others.

"I didn't hear anything from here." Sync shrugged. "Asch is more worked up than usual though..." Everyone looked at him.

"Why is he always mad?" I asked, pretending he wasn't there when he glared at me. "He reminds me of grumpy old people." He just looked away with indignation and walked past me, I had to smile after that, Largo smiled impishly and I swear I heard Sync snort.

Still, I would have to be careful not to be rambling to myself that much; I didn't want any unnecessary information to be revealed. Everyone seemed to be nice people, even Asch had something "good" in him but it was better to keep my thoughts to myself.

I felt a tug at one side of my coat; I looked down and found Arietta looking at me as we kept walking, her rag doll squished around her tiny arms. "What is it?" I asked looking down at her.

"Your eye," She began. "Why is your left eye yellow?"

"I suppose I was born with different eye colors, I would know more about it if I had my memory back." Asch turned and looked at me from the corner of his eye; I could swear I saw concern on his face. Damn, that's some imagination.

"Oh…" was the pink haired girl's reply. "You ar-"

"Jude, Arietta, watch out!" Largo warned from beside. A new pack of wolves attacked, this time from Arietta's side. Her liger protected her, I instinctively whipped out the rapier and jumped back to create some space between me and the enemy. I was glad to do it when a wolf landed in the same spot I had been a few seconds ago. The beast jumped over me again, I swung my rapier swiftly towards the creature and used the momentum to step aside, out of the beast's way. The sharp tip pierced the monster's chest and the body slammed on the floor. Another wolf assaulted from my left side. The wolf clapped one of his claws over my shoulder as he stood over his rear limbs; I used the sword to block his intention of chomping my head off. Holy shit!

The others were too busy to help since more wolves appeared. Another wolf was coming this way and I was still struggling with this one, oh Yulia. I was able to slip from his muscular limb bending a little and throwing him to one side, just in time to slain the other one around the neck. The wolf I threw away was quick and launched himself over me again, god damn it, leave me alone! This time there was no escape from injures or so I thought. Asch pulled my arm; he stepped forward and attacked, "Fang Blade!"

A blue blaze covered the blade of his sword as he slashed the enemy with an earthward attack; he then used the momentum and jumped for an upper gash. I landed on my bottom, lost in astonishment. Wow, that was so cool!

I quickly jumped to my feet when a wolf sneaked behind Arietta, "Arietta!" She turned around and gasped, the wolf dashed before jumping over her, the creature's snout wide open. Arietta closed her eyes tightly waiting for what was coming. I was on time to push her out of the wolf's way. The wolf was in midair, a few inches away from me when I stuck my blade inside his snout, the tip of my sword reappeared at the back of the creature's neck, an instant death. Unfortunately, when I extended my arm one of the beast's fangs caught my shoulder and pierced it. "Fuck!" The body fell over me and knocked me on the ground.

"Damn it!" Asch grunted. The dead body prevented me to stand up, I looked around to see all the monsters were dead now, Largo and Sync approached me, Sync grabbed my shoulders while Largo pull off the lifeless body and threw it to one side. OH my! That hurt!

"See? That's why I don't fight!" Dist said floating in his chair.

"Jude, are you ok?" Largo asked. I nodded with a pained smile.

"You are injured, you idiot!" Asch snapped while Largo helped me to stand up.

"No shit, Sherlock!" I hissed covering my bloody shoulder with a hand as I placed the rapier back to it's sheathe. Asch shook his head.

"You have to be more careful, Arietta." Legretta looked at her and then she glanced at me, "It seems like I underestimated you…"

"I'm-I'm sorry…" Arietta's hands wrapped around her rag doll tightly.

"I'm ok, really it's nothing." I laughed, which caused everyone to look at me with weird faces; the truth was the pain was killing me but I was glad she was ok. "I'm fin-"

"Shut up." Asch commanded foisting an apple gel into my mouth. "Let's keep going." Legretta nodded and I glared at him because I almost choke with that thing, Asch smiled mockingly. Well, at least I wasn't bleeding anymore.

We continued. Daath Bay was not so far now; a large concret wall protected the port town. Asch was now gaiting right beside me, at the side of my wounded shoulder just in case we were attacked again. I would have to clean the wound once we got to the Oracle ship. Asch would constantly look at my wound like if my shoulder was talking to him saying, 'Do your job moron! Look what just happened!' I could see anger mixed with a tiny bit of concern, which was scary; I mean, he is just like this because it's his job, not because he cares, right?

I felt total relief once we were inside the large walls that surrounded the port; we followed Legretta to the bay. The place was lively and the smell of the salty breeze filled my nostrils. I stared at the large and mighty ship docked to the wharf. A flag waved proudly above the foremast of the ship, the crest of the Order of Lorelei on it. We walked over the ramp and reached the steady wooden surface of the boat, a crew of Oracle Knights as I expected. Though I didn't think the ship would be this big. Large plane wings attached to the boat's sides, each wing holding a significantly big turbine on each side. How come it doesn't sink?

Legretta talked to the captain of the troop and then turned to me, "Jude, a knight will escort you to your cabin." Then she turned to the other, "God-Generals, we'll talk at the strategy room, follow me." Everyone else followed Legretta, Asch glanced at me one last time before following the others. Maybe he thought I would run away, something I hadn't considered until now. A knight approached claiming to be my escort and I followed him.

Running back to Daath would be suicide; I barely knew how to use a weapon and to make everything worst I was injured. I quickly shrugged off those thoughts from my head and asked the knight if I could borrow a first aid kit, Marvin gave me one gladly. Yeah his name is Marvin, I'm a social person, what can I say?

Marvin took me to one of the cabins and walked away, the room was small but comfortable, a bed, desk and a chair, that was all. I sat on the bed placing the kit over it and took out Van's letter from my pocket. I had been curious about it.

_Dear Jude,_

_You might be wondering the meaning of this letter, I was planning to talk about the subject later, but I realized I may have no time after this. Jude, you may not remember but as non-commission officer I assigned you to a special mission two years ago, since then you have been collecting information for me. That mission took you to Mt. Zaleho a few days ago, the place where you lost your memory. I'm ashamed to say I had to revoke your title as Yurian Warrant Officer by obvious means, my most humble apologies._

_Changing the subject, I'm pretty sure you'll remember Mystearica Grants, my sister; very soon. You used to call her Tear. She hasn't heard about you since I assigned you the mission I mention earlier(I can't give you much details about the mission.) and I'm planning a reunion with her very soon, I'm sure she'll be glad to see you. That's all for now, it would be better if you keep this information to yourself; I look forward to see you again. _

_Sincerely, Van. _

I read the letter a few more times after that, Yurian Warrant Officer, really? I shook my head with disappointment, that title was no longer mine, sheesh, what else did I miss? But then, what am I now? I don't I even count as a soldier anymore. How depressing, now I wonder, will I get back my title if I get my memory back? Or are they just going to replace me? Probably the second one, I mean, that's what they usually do, right?

I sighed; even though I had recently known about this, it made me feel a little empty. Van said he couldn't give me details about the mission I was in, that means there are no hopes on getting back to that mission and if he revoked my title that only meant I would have to start all over again. Though, I don't understand, why do I have to be with Asch if I could start as a soldier again? Maybe there is still hope…

"You still haven't treated your wound?" I looked up with surprise; it was obviously Asch, standing by the door.

"Oh…" I gasped distractedly looking at the wound. "Oops." He shook his head with disappointment while I opened the first aid kit and started cleaning my wound, the wound wasn't so deep.

He pressed his back against the wall and crossed his arms looking how I treated the wound, I soaked cotton with alcohol to kill any bacteria on the wound, and it burned. I bit my lip, I hate alcohol!

"So…Why are you here?" I asked, taking out the bandages.

"Isn't it obvious?" He barked, clearly annoyed by my question.

"You don't have to follow me everywhere, you know..." I wrapped the bandage around my shoulder.

"It's going to be hard to keep you alive if you go acting like a human shield." He mocked. I looked away with indignation, still trying to tie the bandage with one hand. Asch sighed, and pushed my hands away.

"Apparently, I've got to do everything." His strong hands moved swiftly, and he rewrapped the bandage gently, quickly tying it into a double knot. He stepped back and leaned against the wall.

"There."

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Asch scowled.

His eyes locked on the letter resting in my lap, I quickly folded the letter and tug it inside the envelope. Asch rolled his eyes. "I'm not interested in that stupid letter." He complained.

"Oh, really?" An impish smile on my face, "I didn't even say anything about it…"

"Shut up." He spluttered, looking away. I chuckled and closed the first aid kit.

"That meeting was short." I observed.

"Because we already know why we are here." He replied stoically. I crossed my arms behind my back and walked to him.

"What can that be?" I tilt my head.

"Fon Master Ion was kidnapped by the Malkuth military a few days ago." He answered; I thought he wasn't going to tell me. "They recently spotted him in Grand Chokmah, that's where we are going."

"I didn't think you would actually tell me..."

"I wasn't going to, but…"

"But?"

He pulled his back away from the wall, I took a step back, otherwise I would have been uncomfortably close to him. "Legretta and Largo think you could be useful."

"Huh?" I stared at him blankly. "Really?" He nodded.

He took out something from the pocket of his trousers, "You still have things to learn though and you might need this." He grabbed my hand and placed a golden ring on my palm. The ring was thick; a small blue gem in the center and it had fonic verses inscribed inside.

"This is…" I trailed off and looked at him with disarray.

"A capacity core," He raised a brow, "Don't tell me you don't know what that is…"

"Of course I know! This thingy increases your body's ability depending on the fonic verse inscribed on it." I said resting my hands on my waist proudly. "I was a Yurian Warrant Office, you know!"

He smiled darkly, "So, that's what the letter was about?"

"O-of course not!" I had to mentally facepalm at that.

"You are easy to trick." He jested. I crossed my arms and pouted.

"Well, it doesn't matter now!" I growled. "My title was revoked…" I did my best to keep the angry tone but it ended sounding resentful and downhearted. I couldn't look at him on the eye after that, so I placed the ring in my fourth finger and kept my eyes locked on it.

He didn't say anything so I continued, "Even if I get my memory back, I won't be a soldier anymore and for some reason that's…sad." A soft chuckle escaped my lips, "I'll probably never be the same, and maybe I'll never get my memory back, I'm hopeless…"

I looked up again, thinking I had softened the atmosphere now that I was laughing at myself. Instead I found a disconcerted look on his face, so I looked back at the ring avoiding his gaze. "This is yours isn't it?"

"Yes." He replied drily.

"Don't you need it?" I asked twisting the ring on my finger. I looked up again when the sound of a chain reached my ears. He had taken out a silver chain with a medallion from beneath the collar of his tabard, letting it rest visibly over his chest and around his neck. The medallion was complex and beautiful, the center had three metallic circles that were intertwined, a pair of chromatic wings at the sides, and at the very center was a black jewel. The silver edges were twisted to perfection and had fonic verses inscribed around them.

I stepped forward cautiously to take a closer look, "May I?" I said pointing at the interesting accessory.

"Do what you want." Asch said nonchalantly. I gently took the medallion in my hand and carefully traced the details with my other hand, my eyes shining like the ones from a child. The complexity and delicacy of the piece was admirable and I couldn't help but smile. Being this close to him was the only way I could figure out Asch may be five or six inches taller than me.

My eyes trailed off to his shoulders, they were tense and not only that, his whole body was petrified; I noticed his hands had turned into fists and he swallowed with difficulty. I let go with embarrassment, was this… repugnance? I couldn't tell and actually, I didn't want to know, that's why I looked away avoiding his gaze again. "It's pretty..." I concluded.

If he had anything to say he kept it to himself putting the accessory away, again hiding it inside his clothes. Seriously, how do I end up screwing up this badly? I was just trying to recover the not-so-tense atmosphere from before and failed miserably.

The loud noise of the turbines drew our attention; it was the crew, preparing the ship for our trip to Grand Chokmah. The sound of clattering armors and Legretta's grave voice was enough proof that we were about to set sail. Asch head for the door but stopped right in front of it.

"I almost forgot," His voice was lifeless; he turned and look over his shoulder, the smirk plastered on his face caught me off guard. "Legretta said it would be a good idea if I train you with the sword a little… I'm going to make sure you pay for almost breaking my rib yesterday."

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><p><strong>IMPORTANT:<strong> Jude's outfit resembles to C.C's (from Code Geass R2) outfit. The only difference is I took off the tails in front and she wears leggings instead of short and the large boots. C.C is my fav character from C.G :P

**(Yurian Warrant Officer)Current title had been revoked, Jude has obtained a new title: Human Shield.** **XD LOL**

Jude: I hate you...whatever just leave a damn comment...

Happystab: *Thumbs Up* *wink*


	3. Chapter 3: Tartarus

**OH, YES! You know what the title means! This is when the real THING begins.** **We get to _see_** **the characters we LOVE so much.**

**I'm gonna be completely honest, I had a lot of funny writing this chapter! LIKE, LOTS OF LOTS OF FUN!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

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><p>Chapter 3: Tartarus<p>

"J-Jude, knock it off!" Asch spluttered trying to keep his balance.

"I-I-I'm n-not d-doing a-anything!" I yelled pressing my head against his back. And against his crimson hair, which was tickling on my face thanks to the strong wind currents.

"Let go!" He rumbled, trying to shake me off, "And stop shaking your legs!"

"I'm NOT letting you go, w-we are about 25000 feet away from the ground!" I squeaked, my arms, which were tightly around his waist, tighten even more. "And my legs wouldn't be shaking if you could stop squirming!" it was my turn to yell into his ear.

So, how does someone like me ends up flying over a griffin? And with a bunch of them around us? Not to mention, they've got ligers on their backs. Arietta's doing of course. Oh, and guess what, I just found out I'm afraid of heights!

Our trip had been shorter than I expected, we had to leave the Oracle ship in Keterburg Bay since Grand Chokmah's port is closed since the Hod War.

So, what's Sync's master plan? To fly to the Rugnica Plains from Keterburg over a damn griffin, yeah, what you heard. All because he is the chief and strategist of the six God-Generals, why to the Rugnica Plains? Because as soon as we got to Keterburg Bay we received a report that Ion had left Grand Chokmah in a landship called Tartarus.

But I must admit, not even the unendurable cold of Keterburg or the long trip in the griffin was worst than training with Asch, we had been training the few days we spent on the Oracle ship. And I was more than glad it had finished, at least for now.

I don't know what was more annoying, getting thrown to the floor more than a hundred times or Sync laughing about how weak I was. Maybe it was Asch's arrogant smile or Dist's I-told-you-so quote getting on my nerves. Largo, in my opinion, is the right-minded one of the group; it's easy to get along with him. Legretta and Arietta are ok too, but their personalities make them difficult to talk to.

In the end, somehow, I had started to get used to them, especially Asch, since he would do nothing else than follow me around. After training, I would drag my feet and collapse face down over the bed, Asch would be there and yet, I barely know who he is.

The only things I know are that he is older than me for a few months and that he is a total jerk, but just because he wants to. So, now I'm actually curious about whom Asch really is.

Although he is moody, I think it would worth to know him a little. After all, he did teach me how to use 'Fang Blade' during our training, which means he isn't that bad. I had a few troubles since I'm left-handed and he is right-handed but I ended doing pretty well. I hugged him when I finally made it, and I could see the astonishment on everyone's faces when I did, they were certainly waiting for him to push me away or something, which he didn't. Of course, he didn't hug me and he looked really pissed, but who cares?

I finally snapped from my train of thoughts when I heard Largo's voice, "We are almost there." He was a few meters away, flying on his own griffin; I refuse to comment about it. He had ignored the fight Asch and me were having. I looked over Asch's shoulders and spotted the large landship with the Malkuth crest on it, it was a few miles away from us.

"It's time." Largo remarked seriously. This was the plan, Dist and Sync would be guiding the operation far from here while Legretta and Arietta would command troops on ground and attack the sides. Largo would take the front of the Tartarus while Asch and I would take the back.

"All right." Asch replied in the same tone. Largo's griffin started to descend over the landship, half of the griffins following us followed after him. The other half followed us to the rear of the ship.

"I should let you fall for being such a pain in the ass." Asch bitched looking over his shoulder.

"I swear I'll take you with me, if you try that." He snorted arrogantly. I looked down, Malkuth soldiers were already waiting for us in the deck, armed, protecting the large golden gate behind them.

Our griffin started to descend and the others too, the ligers over the flying creatures jumped to the Tartarus and over the soldiers. Asch unsheathed his sword and I mimicked him, "I hope you are ready." He mumbled, taking my free hand. My heart started to beat faster and I could feel the furious blush on my face.

"Ye-aaaaaaah!"

He jumped without waiting for my answer. His hand tightly wrapped around mine, so I was forced to jump with him. I kept screaming all the way down. He didn't let go until we touched ground, bending our legs to reduce the impact.

The soldiers welcomed us with their sharp blades and there was no hesitation in our movements. A soldier dashed on my direction and swung his sword aiming for my neck, I curled to dodge the attack, the blade brushed closely over my head, ruffling my hair. I looked up and twisted the rapier with a thrust, the sharp blade cutting the wind and flesh diagonally.

It was an instinct, it pushed me to twist the blade without falter, I stared in horror as I jumped over another soldier and dug my blade through his shoulder, then pulled the blade out of his body. I had no control over my own body, it reacted to danger and at the back of my head I could see the faded image of a blue haired woman, me, my old self. I was going through one bloody memory of what I used to do. My left eye, the yellow one, was burning like a hot charcoal on my face.

What was happening now was completely different from what had happen during my training with Asch. I stepped back, leaning on my right leg as I pulled my body away from the blade threatening me; I tugged the soldier from his collar, his face, a few inches away from mine when I slammed the hilt of my rapier on his cheekbone making him fall on his side. Even so, I didn't feel any regrets or guilt for this matter.

A soldier slammed his shoulder on my back, sending me forward, right were another soldier was ready to cut me in half. Luckily, the soldier waiting for me was tackled to the ground by one of our ligers and I ended up teetering, trying to slow down so I wouldn't topple over the hungry creature.

Asch killed the guy who pushed me using one of his artes, I was so wrapped up on my own fight I hadn't notice how he was doing, the reason I don't look at how other people fight it's because that can be really distracting!

A soldier sneaked from behind me and wrapped his arm around my neck, see, what did I just say? I shook frenetically trying to get free… unsuccessfully. I would have called for help but the soldier's arm was so tight around my throat that the words never came out. Did I mention I'm dying? I caught Asch's stunned expression when he looked at me; I probably looked purple by now.

Asch ran to my direction but more soldiers blocked his way, my eye lids felt heavy, my body was starting to feel numb and yet, the only thing that came to my mind was that Asch's expression was priceless.

…And I wanted to be alive to at least see that expression once more; I flipped the rapier with the back of my hand so I could hold it backwards, I'm not even sure how I did that, and pierced the soldier's boot. His high pitched scream, the blood coming out of the boot and my free neck made me feel I was in heaven. I quickly unstuck the rapier from his foot and pivoted on my toe to kick him on the chest.

I fell to my knees after that, gasping for air, my body was shaking for the near-death experience and I tried not to fall flat on my face using my rapier as support. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to use 'Fang Blade' on that bastard.

"Jude!" Asch was at my side just a few minutes later.

"I…" I gasped, still breathing heavily. "I…I'm fine." Asch grabbed my arm and pulled me up effortlessly. I looked around; the place was a total mess of blood, dead bodies and flesh. The ligers were enjoying the feast, I felt like I was going to throw up.

"How am I supposed to protect you if you wander around?" He yelled, he was squeezing my arm. At least that was keeping him from biting my head off. "Can't you stay close?"

"Wander around?" I hissed. "I was fighting for my own life!" Ever since we rode on the griffin I had been quite moody, yet the perfect word to describe my mood now was 'hysterical'.

He grid his teeth and pressed harder, "Ooooooww." I twisted in pain. He pulled me closer to him, his face inches away from mine. I could only stare at his murderous forest green eyes, they were quite hypnotizing.

"Why are you so obstinate?" He gnashed, I don't think he wanted an answer so I shut my mouth and stared at him blankly. When he was done he took a good, deep, breath. He held the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Well, if he is getting stressed because of me, then fine! I wouldn't be so 'difficult' if he weren't a total douche bag.

"Stay here," He said sheathing his sword. "You'll probably get in the way." With the dexterity of a cat, he swiftly jumped to the topside of the Tartarus, jumped to another gambrel and disappeared. I crossed my arms and pouted as I walked to the opposite direction; I leaned on the railing, my hands cupping my cheeks.

Waiting was going to be boring, so I looked up at the horizon. The view from here was magnificent, the trees looked like tiny bushes from here, and the mountains at the distance covered most of the horizon. The clouds gliding in the sky, moving with the speed of a turtle and the sun hanged motionless, too bright as always.

I sighed, Asch had left not less than a minute and I was already losing my patience. I wish I could know why he is so off-key, he definitely has issues. He doesn't have to take everything on me and I actually saved my own life back there, though I had to thank that liger too.

I shook my head, I was fuming. Asch, you egocentric son of a bitch, I hate you!

I spotted a red blob from the right corner of my eye, I sighed, so he came back so soon? "Are you done?" I asked bitterly without looking back. He didn't answer, that only made me angrier. "Stupid ginger..."

"HEY!" He complained, though it was _his_ voice, the tone was different, more like a whine.

I raised a brow and looked over my shoulder, Asch was behind, he looked pissed but not in a scary way, it looked more like a child that had just been scolded. Arms crossed, shoulders raised.

I turned around completely and frowned, "What the hell did you do to your hair?" I walked to him and stroke one of his locks without paying attention to the weird face he did. His hair was crimson but in a lighter tone and it started fading along the tips, they were gold. Not to mention his hair was unusually messy.

"Hey! Don't touch-"

"And what's with your clothes?" I tugged his white coat; I blushed a little when my eyes scrolled down to his bare abs. "Sheesh! And what's with your sense of fashion?" I said critically.

"Who the HELL-"

"Seriously, nice abs but you don't have to go showing off!" I reproached.

Asch blushed furiously, "W-who the HELL are you?" He pointed me with an accusing finger.

"I thought she was your friend, Master." A high pitched voice said, I looked to my left.

"HOLY SHIT! This Cheagle can talk!" I shouted pointing at the baby blue creature gliding at his side; the cheagle tilted his head innocently.

"Luke! Don't run like that." A female, irritated, voice said. "I told you to stay close." I peeked behind Asch, he turned as well. There was a girl; she was wearing an Oracle Knight uniform. Beside her, was a gorgeous man. They had climbed the metallic ladder beneath the deck to get here. The girl had brown hair and blue eyes and the hottie had mid-length light brown hair, crimson eyes and wore glasses, he's so HOT!

The expressions in their faces were totally opposite; the girl had a dumbstruck expression while Mr. Sexy had a soothing smile. The man noticed the ridiculously irritated expression Asch was wearing. "Luke, something wrong?" Hold on a second… The girl also said…Luke.

"Your name is Luke?" I asked skeptically.

"You didn't answer my question!" He barked. "I asked, who the HELL are YOU? Answer me, NOW!" My eyes trailed to Mr. Sexy and noticed he was wearing a Malkuth uniform. Uh-oh, this can't be good. I could literally feel how my face went pale, chills went down my spine. The girl was still frozen and the rest were looking at me expectantly.

My eyes quickly darted to the topside of the ship, that's where Asch went, my Asch. Not this one!

A light bulb clicked on my head, "Well, you see…" I tried to sound as casual as possible before making a run for it, I ran as fast as I could to the other side of the deck.

"W-Wait!" The girl cried.

But I didn't stop, there was no way I could jump to the topside as Asch did. So I ran to the railing and jumped over it landing in the lower deck, I crooked my knees, rolling to reduce the impact and then kept running. If I was hysterical before then I had gone all the way to frenzy now. My brain couldn't process what was going on, what could be worse than Asch? Two of them, of course!

I dashed ignoring the several pools of blood, the bones, flesh, organs and ligers, which furs where tinted with blood and dust. I stopped as soon as I had run out of air and curled using my knees as support.

Had I gone all the way to the front part? I had to find Asch, but he was probably somewhere in the roof-deck. Ok, it's better to look for Largo, he is suppose to be somewhere in this place. My eyes locked on a nearby gate, I unsheathed my rapier and walked cautiously towards it. The gate's mechanic system reacted to my presence and opened itself.

I stared in shock; there was blood and a familiar large mass lying on the floor, "Largo!" I ran to the man's side. I knelt; one of his sides was covered in blood, a deep wound.

"Largo, Largo!" I shook him, he was unconscious, at least that's what I was hoping. He opened his eyes slowly and forcefully turned his head to me. He battled against his eyelids, trying to keep them open."Ju-Jude…"

"Hang in there! I'll bring hel-"

"Hey, look over there!" I turned my head swiftly, three Malkuth soldier stood before me, they unsheathed their swords. The grip on my sword tightened as I stood up, my eyes darted from one to another, trying to figure out the best strategy. The three of them rushed towards me and I didn't think much when I used 'Fang Flade' on the nearest one.

An earthward blow followed by an upper blow, the blue blaze lighted up the dark hall for a few seconds; the impact sent the soldier flying. Just when the other two soldiers were going to cut me into pieces, the sound of 'something' cutting through the air reached my ears and slammed on my eardrums. Silver 'needles' rushed from behind the soldiers and stroke them; they instantly fell to the floor.

"Jude." Legretta called sheathing her guns as she walked towards me.

"Largo is wounded badly!" I snapped taking her wrist and walking promptly towards Largo. Her façade fell to a blank stare as she tried keeping my pace.

"I'll take care of this." She answered taking an apple gel from her pocket. "Jude, I need you to go to the roof-deck, Asch must be up there, tell him what has happen. I'll be there soon."

"Ok."

"Take the next hall, there you'll find the way up." She instructed when Largo swallowed the gel she gave him. "And be careful with the necromancer."

I nodded, even though I didn't know what she was talking about. I ran, following her instructions. Just like she said, there was a ladder that could take me up. Hopefully, I would find Asch before bumping with the 'necromancer'. I was sure I had heard about some 'necromancer' but I couldn't remember what it was about.

There was another gate, I gasped when I stepped forward and the gate opened. Another battlefield scenario, though this time the bodies lying motionless were from oracle knights and a few of our ligers, I stepped back and bit my lip. At this point, I would bump with whoever had done this; could that guy, Luke and his companions be involved in this? I shook off the fear that had suddenly crept and pressed on my chest; I have to get to Asch!

I looked at the topside; the only way to get to Asch before them was to take a short cut. I stepped back again, this time I would actually try to jump to the roof. Hopefully, I wouldn't break an arm or a leg in the process, I was aware that would earn me a rebuke from Asch's part, followed by cutting my legs or some kind of torture. If he doesn't get killed by these people, that is.

Without further thinking I dashed and jumped as high as I could, I glided for a few seconds until gravity decided to pull me down again, my boots clapped on the roof. To my surprise, I was able to get there effortlessly; I guess I really was a soldier after all, hooray!

I jumped to my next target, my boot clapped when the sole hit one of the pipes of the landship. I pressed hard and leaped to get to a dome that was up ahead. As soon I as I landed I leaped to the next gambrel. I tried not to look down, from where I was now I could suffer from vertigo and that would terrible. I jumped a few more covers until a tug on my coat forced me to land on my bottom.

"What the-" I shut my mouth when I saw Asch kneeling a few inches away from me, a gloved finger on his lips, gesturing to be quiet. He didn't look surprised at all. In fact, I think he was expecting me to run after him. That didn't sound right… Am I really that predictable?

"How did you do that?" I whispered.

"Do what?" He whispered back with annoyance, his eyes scanning the area carefully.

I rolled my eyes, "To appear out of nowhere."

He glanced at me skeptically and tapped a finger on one side of his forehead, "Jude, you just happen to be really distracted."

I sulked and decided to change the topic, "Why do we have to whisper?"

He sighed irritably, "Because the enemy is near, why are you here, anyway? I told you to stay down there."

"Oh, that's right, Largo was injured, Legretta said something about a 'necromancer'." He wrinkled his nose crawling to other side of the gambrel and I followed; we were right above the highest deck, he knelt looking down at it. His eyes fell upon an oracle knight guarding the gate beneath us.

"By the way, just after you left, a guy that looks like you appeared, there was a Malkuth soldier and a girl with him." I said kneeling beside him, "I thought it was you at first…"

"What?" He snarled. I placed a finger on my lips because he was too loud, he rolled his eyes. Asch grabbed my shoulders and shook, "His name? Did he tell you his name?"

"T-they called him Luke." I said leaning away from him, a reaction to his sudden mood change.

"Damn it, this can't be happening!" Asch hissed slamming a fist on the roof. I blinked a couple of times before pointing down at the deck; the three individuals we were talking about were coming this way.

Asch's eyes narrowed, "Damn it. Cover your ears." He commanded.

"Excuse me?"

"Just do it!" He whispered angrily. I covered my ears and he did too. I saw the girl's mouth moving and the guard guarding the gate below us fell to the floor, was she singing? I couldn't take my eyes off Luke, now that I had both red heads in the same place, I could see they were similar but different at the same time. Asch looked like he wanted to jump and strangle his clone.

"…He's out like a light." Luke observed looking curiously at the sleeping guard.

"Tear, you're amazing!" The cheagle exclaimed, did he just say Tear? I stuck out my head to take a better look but Asch pressed his hand on my shoulder forcing me to say in place.

"Let's take back the Tartarus. Tear, if you'd assist me." Mr. Sexy called, the gate opened and he went inside. Oh, no, could she be..?

"Right."

"Hey, what do I do?" Luke asked expectantly.

"You stand watch here." Tear said following Mr. Sexy.

"…Humph. More like 'stay out of the way'." He complained talking to himself rather than at the cheagle, who had stay behind him.

"He is gorgeous…" I whispered while the cheagle was explaining something about seven fonons to Luke.

"That reject?" Asch asked in disbelief, trying to keep his voice low.

"What?" I looked back at Luke. "Pfff. I was talking about Mr. Se-, I mean, the Malkuth soldier. I don't need another annoying ginger, thank you very much."

"Tch." Asch raised a brow in my direction before glaring at his clone.

I shook my head in disbelief when Luke took the cheagle and wobbled him, causing fireballs to fly all over the place. He stopped abruptly when the soldier, lying a few feet from him, twitched. Luke froze for a second and sighed with relief when the guard didn't move anymore.

"Damn that scared the hell out of me. Go back to sleep!" Luke ordered, kicking the soldier.

"Ugh, this guy is worst than you." I complained. Asch grit his teeth, his hand found the hilt of his sword, he was about to jump and attack, I could sense it. But before he could do anything, the soldier jumped to his feet and swung his sword towards Luke, who took a few steps to get away from the soldier. A baleful smile formed in Asch's face and I just stared in horror. I mean, this guy could be Asch's twin brother or Tear's friend.

"Wh-whoa, he got up…" A mix of fear and surprise in Luke's face. I stood up, I was about to jump and help him but Asch grabbed my wrist without taking his eyes from Luke, he was still smiling.

"…Die!"

"Aah! S-stay back!" Luke cried, he took out his sword, his hand was trembling. The soldier swung his sword and Luke threw himself to the floor, the soldier attacked again.

"Ahhh…don't…don't come any closer!" Luke threatened; he closed his eyes and stuck out his sword in front of him. I flinched when the sword pierced the soldier's stomach, Asch's smile faded as Luke's enemy fell on his back.

The gate beneath us opened, "What happened?" Tear cried, she frowned when her eyes fell upon the dead guard. Mr. Sexy came out after her.

"This is bad…" Mr. Sexy said calmly. "The commotion has caused the fonic hymn to weaken."

"I…I stabbed him…" Luke was trembling, his eyes trailed off to his hands. "I…killed him…"

My back stiffened when Asch decided to give a piece of his mind, "If you're scared of killing, then throw away your sword, you worthless reject." I didn't even notice he had started casting a spell; icicles fell from the sky and over them.

Only Mr. Sexy was able to dodge the attack, Tear and Luke fell on their backs. Asch jumped off the roof and I jumped after him, I knelt beside Tear to see if she was ok, good she is still breathing. I glared at Asch but he didn't notice, I was facing his back.

"And you're as hard to kill, as they say Necromancer."

Wait, he is the 'necromancer'? A Malkuth soldier..? Oh, snap! "You mean THE Necromancer? Jade THE Necromancer?" I didn't get a reply, not from Asch or Jade, who jus crossed his arms behind his back, his lips pressed in a thin line.

A troop of knights came out of nowhere, had they been waiting this whole time? "Captain, what shall we do with them?"

"Kill them." Asch replied not even thinking it twice.

"N-No!" I growled, I was impressed at my own reaction. My left eye was stinging again; Jade looked at me and raised a brow.

Asch turned; steel in his eyes, caused by my sudden outburst. My blood was boiling, this was Tear, I could feel it. She had tried to stop me when I ran away, she recognized me. "I think this girl…she is..."

Asch looked at me with a questioning look. A familiar voice drew our attention, "Asch. Have you forgotten your orders?" I looked behind, it was Legretta. "Or have you decided to ignore them?"

I met her gaze; her eyes trailed off to Tear and nodded. So she is Tear after all!

"Fine. Restrain them and lock them in a cabin somewhere!" He spat sourly. I sighed with relief, and smiled fondly at Tear. I crouched to her side but Asch grabbed my arm and pulled me.

"H-hey!" I complained, but he pulled again. The gate in front of us opened and he took me inside. I was able to look back and caught Jade still looking at me, troubled, before the gate closed behind us. My eye was still stinging; Asch picked a random door, the door opened immediately and he dragging me inside.

There was a large table in the middle of the room; over the table was a map. Asch started scanning the map silently; I picked a chair and sat. His eyes flickered from one side of the map to another. I could swear he wanted to say something, whatever it was he decided not to say it.

"What are you doing?" I asked breaking the silence. He gazed at me coldly before looking at the map again.

"You know Luke, don't you?" This time he didn't even look at me. I sighed and rested my elbows on the table. "I wish I could know what you are thinking…"

His lips twitched, his eyes still focused on the map, "Why?" He asked heartlessly.

"Because…" I stopped. I wasn't prepared to answer his question, in fact I never thought he would ask; I drew circles in the table with my finger. "…You are the closest thing to a friend to me now. And…"

"And?" He looked a bit curious now, though he still held his poker face.

"Hurtful memories shouldn't be kept a secret…" His careless eyes turned to the map again.

And I continued, "I never thanked you, back at Daath, you pulled me away from that liger. Thank you."

"Isn't it too late?" He mocked.

I smiled weakly "Sorry." And rubbed my eye, the pain wasn't fading.

"You didn't have to thank me…" He replied, I was surprised his answer didn't have that distinguished arrogant tone of his. "We are even now…" He muttered, it was almost inaudible, I think I wasn't supposed to hear that. I glanced up at him, I was about to ask him what he meant but I shut my mouth when I looked at his face. He was still looking at the map, his eyes were half closed and a tiny, almost imperceptive curve had formed in his lips. Is that a smile?

Let's see how far I can get. I asked, purposely tactless, "So, Luke is your brother?"

"No." His features sharpened again. Oh, I touched a soft spot.

"So, you go calling 'worthless reject' to anybody?" I snorted and drummed my fingers on the table. "Though, I think you would actually do that."

"Tch."

The speakers of the landship echoed, interrupting our conversation, "By name as Necromancer, heed my command." We both recognized the voice immediately."Initiate emergency plan. 'Corpse Hunt'." And with that, the lights went down.

"That Necromancer!" Asch hissed, the room was too dark to tell where he was now.

Asch kicked the door but nothing happened, well, I think he kicked the door; the place was too dark to tell. "Oh, great, this is the second time I get locked up." I sighed resting my chin on the table

I heard footsteps and then the chair beside me, been dragged. "Where are you?" I swung my hand, my palm bumped with something; I think it was his face. Yes, I accidently ended slapping him, something I should have done a long time ago.

He pushed my hand away, "You are worst than that dreck!"

"Who?"

"Never mind…" He sighed; I was able to detect him at my right side. There was silence again, even if I couldn't see his face, it felt awkward.

"I hate dresses." I commented.

There was a brief silence and then he said, "Like I care." There was silence again but this time he asked, "Why did you say that?" Didn't he just say he didn't care? What a doofus.

"I really hate them." I answered instead.

"I meant, what made you say that out loud?"

"Oh." I was happy it was dark; otherwise he would have noticed I was blushing with embarrassment. "I just thought we should try knowing each other… that's all."

"Hmmm…" There was silence again. I sighed in defeat, he wouldn't say anything. I rubbed my eye again, my head had started spinning, it reminded me of the dream where I was covered in darkness.

"Luke fon Fabre, son of Duke and Duchess fon Fabre…" He gasped bitterly. The pain in my eye increased abruptly, I bit my lip and pressed my palm on my eye. I jumped to my feet but collapsed when I couldn't take it anymore, a loud thump, the pain had turned unbearable. A heart-rending scream flood my ears, it didn't took me long to know I was the one shrieking.

"Jude? Jude!" Asch called, anguish in his voice. "Crap, where the hell are you?" I couldn't answer, I kept screaming as I writhe on the floor. A liquid started dripping from my eye, it was warm and it smelled like iron.

A strong gloved hand found my shoulder; he pulled me closer wrapping a arm around it. I was close enough to feel the warmth of his body; I could hear his heart slamming on his chest.

"What's wrong?" He yelled.

"MY EYE!" I yelled back g,ritting my teeth. He was able to find my hand in the darkness; he ripped out my hand off my eye. I opened it and a yellowish light came from it, illuminating half of the room and Asch's stunned face. The warm liquid was running down my cheek, I raised my hand to sweep the liquid, but found my hand was already stained with it, blood.

A bright light covered Asch's chest, the light spread all over the room. The blaze of the light warmed my body and the pain stopped abruptly. I was so tired I couldn't move any muscle, my eyes started to close on their own and everything went black after that.

The image of a small boy lingered on my head, a redhead boy with forest green eyes.

He tilted his head and smiled, the smile never reached his lifeless eyes, he asked, "You'll come back, right?"

My mind was now drifting to the depths of subconscious. Even though I didn't know the boy, my lips moved on its own, "Yes Luke, I promise…"

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><p>That night, somewhere around the Rugnica Plains…<p>

Tear locked her eyes in the vivid flames of the bonfire. Its warmth, the intensity; it was all timeless in her thoughts. She pressed her hand on the bandage wrapping her arm. The pain didn't matter to her, she was hurt indeed, but the pain she was feeling wasn't on her flesh. She shook her head in silent disbelief.

_Jude, it really was you…_

Her frigid eyes trailed off to Ion; at least they had pulled him out off the fire, she thought. Of course, they wouldn't have made it without Guy, Luke's servant and friend.

Even though they had managed to escape alive she couldn't help but feel anguish in her heart. Jude, her long-lost friend, was alive and she was grateful about that, she had even got to think she was dead. But something was wrong, terribly wrong, she could sense it. The Jude she knew would have run to her and embraced her in one of those embarrassing emotional moments she usually created whenever they were able to see each other. Instead she had looked at her with the curiosity of a stranger. Could have something happened to her?

If they hadn't been in such alarming situation she would have looked for her and demand an answer, demand why she had looked at her in such distrustful and doubtful way.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a really embarrassed redhead sat next to her.

"Are you sure you're all right?" She asked putting her worries aside; but her voice said otherwise. She was also worried about Luke, if she hadn't been so inconsiderate on trying to kill Van inside the manor none of this would have happen. Though, she knew she wouldn't have been able to see Jude if the incident hadn't happened in the first place.

"Huh…?"

"The fighting was hard on you, wasn't it?" She mused with genuine regret, "I knew you were a civilian, but it seems I didn't really understand what that meant."

"I'm sorry."

"Wh-why are you apologizing? You're the one who got hurt." Luke shook his head looking at Tear's wound. He felt guilty and weak for not been able to save his own skin.

"As long as I'm a soldier, it's my duty to protect civilians." Tear answered. "Getting injured in the process merely means I wasn't strong enough. That's all."

"You are weird. To me, it just sounds like you're just trying to sound tough." That sounded like something Jude would say, Tear didn't know how her friend became a Yurian Warrant Officer with her lack of discipline and seriousness. Jude would always complain about how Major Legretta had transformed her into an unsmiling killing machine.

"Th-that's not true!" Tear hissed in disbelief. That had been the same answer to Jude's statement.

"Uh huh…" Luke replied with skepticism before jumping to his feet to walk away. Tear sighed; of course Jude wasn't as selfish and ignorant as Luke. She could have sworn there was a glint of gold on one of her friend's eye; Major Legretta had taught her to look at every detail. But that was impossible, she thought. Jude's eyes were blue.

She shook her head, at least she knew Jude could take care of herself just fine, but if she was with the Order of Lorelei, then that meant she would have to fight her.

She had the bad feeling her friend was in danger and not exactly from Jade or the others but the six God-Generals and Van. Because of that, she had decided to keep the blue-haired girl's identity to herself. What she didn't know was that a certain perceptive 'Necromancer' was observing her from the distance; Jade pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. There was no doubt; today's events had captivated his attention, it had turned quite fascinating.

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><p><strong> HappyStab: OMG SUSPENSE! AND OMG JUDE HAS A CRUSH! Dedicated to Jade's fans! ;D<br>**

**IMPORTANT: I may or may not release two chapter next week, it depends in how creative I get. You'll later get why I'm doing this.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Deal

**OMG, YES! I GOT TO DO TWO CHAPTERS THIS WEEK, JUST LIKE I PROMISED.**

**OK, first of all, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Go and hug your dad!****  
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**Why did I post two chapters? Because Jude joins the party right after this chapter and I wanted to sped up to get to that part. Don't worry, this chapter I'll keep you entertained until you ge to the next one and we also get to see the ToA in this chapter.**

**I quickly what to thank the people that has fav. this story and me as a writer...I'mean really. XD**

**Also, thanks to the people that reviewed in the other chapters, I LOVE YOU. Kiss my baby! (you'll get that joke when you read this chapter) XD DISCLAIMER: NOOOOO!  
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><p>Chapter 4: The Deal<p>

The wind blew up the dust around; the particles tickled my noise and forced me to sneeze for the tenth time this day.

"A-A-Achooooo!"

I rubbed my nose with annoyance; Asch looked at me from over his shoulder and sighed with frustration, he wouldn't get any silence soon, that was for sure.

"Stupid allergy…" I muttered, sniffing; my nose was irritated and looked like a damn tomato. Ok, now I know something else about me…

"Don't slow down, we need to get to the Fubras River." Asch ran his fingers through his hair; the strong wind had pulling his hair down. He looked like Luke that way; it gave me the willies.

I nodded, "I know." gaiting faster to keep his pace. "Are you sure you know what you are doing?"

He smirked insolently, "Look, I wouldn't have offered that deal if I wasn't sure." He huffed, "Don't compare me to that reject."

"His name is Luke!" I corrected. We had been walking for a few hours now, getting off the Tartarus without anybody noticing had been an easy task with someone as skilled as Asch. Something tells me he sneaks like that often…

_***Flash Back***_

_I stretched my arms and yawned, my back pressed on the mattress. I squeezed my eyes and rubbed them before sitting up. I managed to open my eyes, half way actually._

"_Owwww…" I groaned pressing the back of my hand on my forehead, oh, headache!_

_My eyes trailed off to a figure a few feet away. It was Asch, sleeping on a chair, legs spread and his elbows pressed against them. His whole body was leaning forward. His head was hanging and most of his face was covered by his forelocks. I don't think he got much sleep if he actually slept like that. _

_I jumped out of the bed silently and crouched in front of him. Dark circles around his eyes, yep, he definitely didn't have much sleep._

_I stood up again and looked around, judging from the room's display we were still on the Tartarus. I plopped down on the bed again to put on my boots. I frowned, as I recalled what had happened before I passed out. What was all that about? I brushed my fingers on my left eyelid. Asch had cleaned the blood from my face that was very clear, I was glad the pain had faded as well. Did he take the pain away? I remember a really bright light and then… _

_What about the boy I saw? If I hadn't say Luke…I could swear that boy was… Instead of finishing my thought I glanced up at Asch. This is starting to get creepy. Luke? Is he someone important to me? I'm still not sure if it was just a dream or…perhaps, it was a memory._

"_I made a promise…to Luke?" I asked myself._

"_Nghhhh…" Asch stretched his arms; his eyes fluttered a little. He brought a hand to his face, and covered his eyes, tiredly._

"_Good morning…" I said, faking a good-natured smile._

_He removed his hand from his face and glanced at me from the corner of his eye, "You are starting to be a burden, you know…"_

_I opened my mouth, I was about to protest but I changed my mind, "Sorry." I can't yell at him when he helped me that much…_

_He raised a brow and looked at me expectantly "I…well…you…Thanks." That's the only thing I managed to spit. I looked down at the interesting flooring of the ship trying to hide the redness of my face, wood is a really nice material... _

"_Thanks? For what?"_

"_For staying… here and taking care…of me." _

"_Whatever, I was just doing my job…" He spat standing up._

"_But you also took away my pain! H-how did you do that?" _

_Asch looked at me with skepticism, "I didn't do anything…" He stared at my face incredulously and got closer. "Your eye isn't yellow anymore."_

"_Huh?" He unsheathed his sword, and placed the blade in front of my face, the surface of the blade acted as a mirror. I looked closely and saw my eye was blue now, just as my right eye._

"_Wow…this is so weird…" I gasped; Asch snatched the blade away and placed it in the sheath again._

_The door opened and we glanced at it at the same time, Dist came in on his turbo chair. A bold look on his face, "Asch, I finished unlocking the security system from the Tartarus, we'll head for St. Binah now, that's where they took Ion."_

_Asch nodded, "Then, it's time for me to leave, I'll take Jude with me."_

_Dist cupped his chin with an impish smile, "Ah, very well…" Then he asked, "Choral Castle?"_

"_Yeah," Asch began. "Take Sync with you and don't forget to tell Arietta to meet me at the Fubras River."_

_Dist turned around and waved a hand dismissively, "I know, I know….Don't go doing naughty things, ok?" The door closed behind him as he glided away. I couldn't help but choke on my own saliva, aw~kward! _

_Asch huffed, picked up my rapier from the table and threw it at me; I almost failed at catching it._

"_What was all that about?" I asked suspiciously. "We are not going to St. Binah?" _

"_Not you or me." He answered, brushing his hair away from his face. "I have more important things to do…"_

"_B-But," I protested, "I want to know more about Luke; I…promised I would…come back." His usual stoic mask changed dramatically to a stupefied stare, a face that said I'm- a- doofus-I-can't-process-this._

"_I mean, No…well…I think." I kept tripping over my words, so I swallowed and took a deep breath, "When I passed out, I saw him, a child…I thought he was you but I…" I held back because he had the same damn face and it was making me nervous! "Don't look at me like that!"_

_He jerked; my growl had brought him back, down to Auldrant. He shook his head in disapproval. "I need you to come with me, those are my orders."_

"_But-"_

"_I said no!" He burst out, an icy stare on his face._

"_You can't force me!" I snapped and head for the door but he caught my wrist in the process. "Hey! Let go!"_

"_I said-!_

"_I don't care!"_

"_Jude…" His voice and tone had softened considerably, I looked back at him but his locks had fallen over his face, like a curtain._

"_What?" I muttered._

"_If you come with me… I'll tell you what I know about Luke…Just; let me do my job…please." My mouth fell open, I must be going deaf, he did NOT say please, he just... Oh Yulia. And he is willing to share what he knows!_

_I was petrified and speechless; his green eyes reappeared when he cocked his head. "Jude?"_

_A choking sound came from my throat before answering, "Ok... Deal."_

_***End of Flash Back***_

I swear that conversation was longer than what it took us to jump off from the Tartarus. Yes, he actually made me jumped from up there. I must have looked like one good-for-nothing scaredy-cat that was about to jump into the depths of the world.

I begged him to please, please use the exit like any normal, sane person, but we all know he is far from being normal. Which is why I climbed on his back and shouted 'Asch, you motherfucker!' at the top of my lungs, as we fell.

Asch was really, really pissed at my 'indiscretion' but I think that's just the way he rolls, I mean, he is always pissed no matter what. The problem is I can't tell when he is really upset or just being himself.

"You barely know who he is and you are already acting protective over him." He mocked in a harsh tone.

"Shut up!" I scowled, "When are we getting to the Fubras River, anyway?"

He smirked looking back to the plains ahead "We'll probably get there at night…"

I gazed at him in disbelief and raised my arms in the air, "But we didn't bring any food, and I'm starving! I knew I had to go with the other to St. Binah!"

He rolled his eyes and kept walking; the worst part of this was that the only thing I could see was green plains, forests and the mountains at the distant since there was no trail to get there.

We were far from St. Binah now. I don't get it, if St. Binah was on the way to the Fubras River, then why did we have to go all the way there walking and not use the Tartarus? Told you, this guy isn't normal.

"Well, since there is a long way to go," I scoffed mischievously, "Why don't you carry out your part of the deal and tell me who Luke fon Fabre is?"

The smirk vanished from his face and was replaced by a straight thin line. The coldness crept on his eyes again. I can't believe it, now I'm feeling bad for asking. I was about to tell him he could tell me later but he spoke first.

"As I told you, he is the son of Duke Fabre." He began, "I heard he is engaged to the princess of Kimlasca, he is from royal blood."

I bit my lip miserably and sighed, Asch looked notably confused by my reaction. This wasn't exactly the reaction he was waiting for and he was so curious he asked, "What the hell was that? I'm telling you the truth."

"Oh, I know you are telling the truth but…"

"But?"

"Well, if he really is from royal blood, then that means it was a meaningless dream." He frowned but I ignore it, "I mean, I'm a soldier not a noble. There is just no way I could have met someone from that status."

Peevishness grew within his features, "I never thought YOU would come with something that stupid." I raised a brow with displeasure. But he didn't mind explaining what the hell he was talking about.

"Can't you speak your mind without been rude?" He ignored me. So I dropped that topic and asked instead, "What else do you know about him?"

"I won't tell you everything right away," He began, "Otherwise there won't be anything for you to follow me."

"You think I'll betray you? Jeez, thanks."He chucked darkly. "It's not supposed to be funny!" I added.

"You are the sort of person that acts without thinking, like risking your life for someone that you barely know." He sneered with loftiness.

"You'd be grateful it was you!" Asch 'Tch-ed' in a 'yeah, right!' way.

The hours passed by, the sky darkened as the night fell. The clouds were tinted with purple and our surroundings took questionable shapes that would make anyone shudder. Tall and leafless trees looked like they were about to move on their own. The darkness swallowed what it was too distant to see and the anxious sensation of someone observing you had started to bloom.

I needed a distraction, so I thought about Tear, Luke and Jade, oh, Jade darling! Asch had already explained they were the ones that used the emergency system of the Tartarus to escape. He also told me Largo was fine and that he was recovering from his wound. I was happy we had started talking again because I can't be quite for too long.

Anyway, back to Tear and the rest, it was quite ironic how I had grown curious about every single one of them. Tear because she was an old friend, Luke because I had a strange 'dream' about him and Jade, well; because he is Jade of course. I mean, he is Jade THE Necromancer! He was known for animating the corpse of dead men, which is creepy, but still! Who would have thought he was so handsome? Too bad I didn't get to see Ion; I would die peacefully if I ever get to meet him. I would go 'Kiss my baby!' or something.

I quickly forgot about my senseless rambling when I saw the huge rocks up head. Well, they were some sort of stalagmites, huge ones and I groaned when Asch was heading on that direction. Great, just when I had overcome the fear, the place we are heading to just happen to be a nightmarish place at night. I bet this place doesn't look this terrifying whenever the sun is out, unfortunately, that is not the case.

I shivered as we walked around the sharply pointed rocks; they were larger than they had looked when I first spotted them. Some of them where taller and larger than trees, which didn't help a lot since we couldn't see what was at the other side. The turf had also grown longer around this area.

"We are here," Asch remarked rolling his shoulder to stretch his back. "The river is up ahead; we'll go through and camp at the other side."

I groaned looking around, "I don't like this place. Do we really have to stay here?"

He smirked, his eyes glowed with a hidden pleasure "What? You're scared?"

"Wha- N-no…Come on, let's go!" I spat, stomping away with determination, I won't lose to him, I WON'T!

I heard him snort, the turf snapped beneath our feet as we made our way through the stalagmite jungle. We found a few limbless toads in our way, bluish and with large tails. I was expecting more fearful creatures to be honest, a few twists from out blades and they were done for; Largo could easily stomp on those without noticing.

Then again, I wished I could remember my artes, the only one I know is 'Fang Blade' and I'm starting to get bored about it. I could ask Asch to show me another one of his artes but I also wanted to remember the ones I used to use, you know, I wanted to know how strong I had been.

That had made me realized that the memories I had lost, all had to do with my past as a child and soldier. I still remember what most people know, the Score, the Order of Lorelei, Yulia, the Oracle Knights and that sort of stuff. The only things that I should have remembered and I didn't were Van as commandant and Asch as a God-General. I should have remembered them like that right away.

The sound of the river guided us, it wasn't too far. There were a few rocks we could use to get to the other side. The water looked blackish, the moonlight playing with the quivering currents of the river. I did my best to keep my balance as I jumped from rock to rock. They were a little slippery since their surface was smooth and wet, after a few more hops, we reached a small patch of land in the middle of the river.

We were about to jump on another path of rocks when my legs started shaking. At first, I thought I was having one of those attacks, like the one in the Tartarus. I was waiting for my eye to start stinging, but it didn't. I leaned to one of the spikes to keep my balance and Asch crouched beside me. "An earthquake?" He snapped crumpling the turf around his fingers, forming a fist.

I looked back; the sound of the river had increased out of nowhere. I stared in horror, "A-Asch!" I yelled as I used an accusing finger to make my point. He turned around, his eyes popped out as they locked at the violent mass of water that was coming from the upper side of the river. The earthquake had not stopped yet and we would fall to the river if we tried running away now.

Asch jumped to his feet and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Get ready!"

That was the last thing he said before the wave stroke us down. My ears filled with the reverberation of the water, the current had pulled us down the river bottom and was dragging us with great speed. I struggled to keep the air I was holding in my lungs, the pressure of the water was making it difficult.

I had literally dug my nails on Asch's back; it was just an instinct to wrap my arms around his waist, ok? The current kept dragging us until its force diminished. It was easy to swim to the surface after that. We gasped for air as soon as we reached the surface, the waters had turned gentle but we had no more options but to let the river take us to the nearest run.

"You better have a good reason to meet Arietta, here." I growled, stepping out from the river and draining off the water from one of the tails of my coat. "Why didn't you talk to her in the Tartarus, anyway?"

He stepped out and twists his hair, "I have my reasons…" I raised a brow suspiciously, as I took off some sticks and leaves out of my hair.

"So, I'm not trustful?" My question came out bitterly.

"It's not necessary for you to know." He stated, walking deeper into the forest surrounding the river, I followed, but he turned around. "Stay here, I'll get some wood."

He disappeared through the bushes and into the darkness, what a nice way to avoid the subject. The fact that now I was alone summoned my fear again, I needed something to distract myself, besides I didn't wanted to feel useless, so dragged two not-so-thick logs that I found near the riverbank.

I took of my coat, thank Yulia, this outfit has a shirt underneath, it was wet too but that meant I wouldn't have a problem taking off my coat. I pulled off my arm warmers too. When Asch was back he looked a little impressed when he saw the preparations I had done for his arrival.

Asch made the bonfire using the wood he brought and the stones I had collected. It was nice to have the warmth of the fire after what happened. Asch took off his gloves, boots and tabard placing them on the log where I was draining my coat and arm warmers. He plopped down in the other one, right beside me.

I noticed he still had a few leaves at the back of his head. "You still have some leaves on your hair." He placed a hand behind his head, searching for them. "Here, let me help you."

I jumped to my feet and walked behind him, he frozen as my hands started to untangle his hair to take the leaves out. I acted as if I hadn't noticed and kept untangling. I worked taking thick strands of his crimson hair, he had more leaves than I expected. When I was done with his long bangs I checked his forelocks, I had to untangle those too.

His body had relaxed and his head started teetering as he started to fall asleep. "Hurry up, your touch is making me fall asleep." He yawned angrily, rubbing his eyes.

"You are like a damn cat." I snickered, taking the last leaf. "I'm done. See?" I chirped, sitting again beside him. Definitely not a good day for Asch's hair.

"Thanks." He said coldly, though the usual paleness of his face was tinted with a tiny glow of red. I was pretty impressed that he had let me touch his hair. 'Thanks' isn't something you get to hear from him that much.

I poke him in the shoulder and taunted with a chaffing smile, "You know, you don't look half bad when your hair is down."

He ran a hand through his hair to pull his hair back on its place, a scornful smug in his face, "You mean like that dreck? Don't make me laugh." I should have known better, the 'dreck' was Luke.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "So, Arietta will be here tomorrow?"

He nodded. "We'll head for Kaitzur after that, the border..."

I cupped my cheek with a hand, my elbow resting on my leg, "Will you ever tell me why are we doing this?"

"You'll know…soon enough."

* * *

><p>The next day, we walked all the way to the spot where we would meet Arietta. Our clothes had dried with the heat of the bonfire, so we were ready to go. We were very lucky to find an apple tree along the way, I was really glad we did, otherwise I wouldn't have had the energy to go anywhere.<p>

Arietta appeared over her liger a few minutes later. I noticed her eyes looked sadder than usual. She hopped off her liger and walked to us.

She gritted her teeth and dug her nails on her doll as soon as she met Asch's gaze. A baleful expression contorted on her face. "…your stupid replica and his idiot friends are heading this way." She huffed, resentment in her tone.

Asch frowned, I looked at him in confusion but he avoided my gaze. "I already told you back at the Tartarus. It's not my fault what that piece of trash did." Replica? Could they be talking about…

"T-They killed my mommy!" She growled and her voice cracked a little. I stepped closer to Asch when Arietta's liger started tracing a circle around us; the monster gritted its teeth with a snarl.

"I called you here to make a deal." Asch was unconcerned, even though her monster looked like it would attack any second.

Tears were now streaming down her face, "Wh-what is it?"

"Those idiots are heading to Kaitzur, they'll mostly likely head to the port. It'll be the perfect opportunity to avenge your mother." Asch remarked.

Her rosette eyes scanned Asch's face meticulously. She didn't trust him, I could see that much. "But If I wait for them here, I can kill them. I'm not willing to wait…" I stared in horror.

"Look," Asch began, he looked a little impatient now, "The only thing you need to do is attack the ship that'll take them to Baticul, kidnap the ship's engineer and take it to Choral Castle."

"How is that going to help me avenge my mommy?" Arietta scowled and her liger started to get closer. Oh Yulia!

"You know Ion won't reject our invitation to the castle with a harmless civilian between our fingers." I gulped, now Asch was acting like a real villain. "The others will have no other choice but to follow."

Asch continued with a dark smile upon his face. "You'll get revenge and Ion, what do you say?" Ok, the only thing missing now is the evil laugh. Arietta brush off her tears with a silent sniff; she contemplated his plan and the turf at the same time.

Asch got tired of waiting and rolled his eyes with frustration. "Ok, why don't you try attacking them here? If your plan fails you'll already have a backup plan."

This time Arietta didn't think much and nodded. Asch smirked with satisfaction as the liger dropped its fighting stance. That was close, but I would have to talk with Asch about his 'plan' afterwards.

We were ready to head for Kaitzur, but I remembered the incident in the river, I turned to Arietta. "Hey, Arietta..." She turned to me and Asch did the same.

"Yes?" She tilted her head; her pink bangs followed her movement.

"You should be careful the-" But Asch interrupted.

"The Necromancer is strong, be careful." Asch's eyes flickered to my direction. His expression said, 'Shut your mouth.'

"We'll be leaving now." And with that, he dragged me away until we had gone out of the forest and into the field again.

"Asch, what the hell was all that about?" I reproached, trying to get out of his grip. "Arietta could be in danger!"

"She wants to kill your friend and you still worry about her?" Asch scoffed without turning back.

"I'm pretty sure there must be a misunderstanding! Tear would neve-" Asch turned around.

"Are you sure about that? Have you remembered her enough to say that?" Asch embittered. My gaze fell to the ground absently, he was right; actually, I hadn't remembered anything since we left Daath. "Arietta will be all right." His tone was softer, almost apologetic. I looked up; he was biting his lip with remorse.

"How do you know?"

"There is something wrong with that river… If something happens to her, she'll be saved by those idiots, after all Ion is with them. I need her plan to fail, that way she'll do what I say."

I pulled away my hand, now that his grip had loosened. I shook my head in disgust, "What the hell is wrong with you? You can't use people like that!"

He merely frowned, so I continued, "This has nothing to do with your duty as God-General, is it…?" He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he walked away. I reached for his arm but he ended dragging me, instead of me stopping him. "What about Van? He trusts you, if something happens to Tear-"

He turned around again, "In any case, it was Van who taught me to use other people as tools."

"You are horrible person!" I said clenched my fists with a murderous glare.

Asch grabbed my arms tightly, "You know nothing about me. Get it? NOTHING!" He yelled unleashing his rage.

"I WOULD, IF YOU COULD TRUST ME!" I roared back. His arms fell to his sides again but his shoulders were still tense. He pressed a fist on his forehead and closed his eyes with exasperation. "Please…" I tried in a gentle voice.

"Van is that reject's sword instructors and mentor…" He sighed after a while. "As part of our deal, that's what I have to say…" He started to pace away with me on his heels. So Van is involved in this too…

"Arietta said something about Luke, your replica..?" I asked searching for an answer in his eyes.

""I'll explain that once we get to Choral Castle." He mumbled.

"Fine…" I sighed. "But you can't avoid the subject when we get there!" He waved his had with poor interest.

That's where the discussion ended; Kaitzur wasn't that far away, we saw it when we got out of the forest. Too bad we wouldn't stay much longer. I wanted to rest at the inn but that was far from happening. And hey, I'm not whining here, you'd be the same if you had used a log as a pillow the night before.

I don't even know how Asch manages to go around without falling flat on his face; he had decided to take watch when we were still in the forest, so that would be two days without sleeping properly. I suppose that's the life of a God-General, he also doesn't look like he eats much, which would explain his pale skin. Now, if we sum up the lack of sleep, food and the fact that he just went through puberty, what do we get? Asch, of course!

We fought a few sparrows when we were almost there; it was really annoying having all those damn birds flying around. I shook my sword frenetically trying to kill them. "ARGH! Stay still assholes!"

"Burning Havoc!" Asch jumped into the air and into the red-glowing Field of Fonons he had created. He kicked into the enemy, causing an eruption of flames upon impact. The flames burnt the remaining enemies and only ashes were left.

I sheathed my rapier with a stern look on my face. Asch had to teach me all about fighting back at the Oracle Ship, from basic to complex knowledge. That included Field of Fonons. Seeing him doing that type of artes frustrated me since I was unable to create fields myself. I did remember what Field of Fonons was but not how to create them; gathering fonons was not that easy. I had spent a lot of time trying to make one back at the ship.

"Show off…" I spurned bitterly.

Asch grinned boastfully and sheathed his sword. "Come on, we are almost there."

I sighed with relief when we finally got to Kaitzur, Asch said I needed a passport and told me to rest at the inn while he got one. I didn't complain and walked happily to the inn with the pouch of gald he gave me. He didn't know how much I had wanted this.

I paid and picked the bed at the end of the room, toppling over it and exhaling; I closed my eyes and buried my face into the pillow. My muscles loosened with gratification as I lay there for a while, mulling over the events of the last few days. I tried to sleep but I didn't succeed because of the loud voices outside the inn, and I laid still, my mind racing.

I was trying to ignore them until a loud, familiar voice rang. The imposing tone of his voice gave him away."You won't need any once you're dead!" I lifted up my head. Asch? His voice was followed by the sound of a blade and a loud thump.

I jumped out of the bed and looked through the window. My mouth dropped. I wasn't expecting to see Tear and the others there. Luke was lying on the floor near the entrance and Asch was about to kill him, or at least that's what the sword in his hand told me.

Asch charged over him with his sword but his blow was caught by another blade, my eyes widened at Van's sudden appearance. He had drawn out his sword; in fact, it was Van's blade the one that stopped Asch from tearing Luke apart.

"Stand down, Asch!"

"…Out of the way, Van!" Crap, crap, crap, crap.

"What do you think you're doing? I don't recall giving any orders like this." Van commanded, "Now stand down!"

Asch sheathed his sword, I could only see his back from here, but I was pretty sure Van was getting a load of Asch's dreadful glare. Asch disappeared jumping to the other side of the entrance's arc. As soon as he disappeared my stomach felt empty and anxiety sprouted. Did HE just leave without me?

Van commented at Luke's 'pathetic' parry, something Luke didn't seem pleased to hear. Tear drew out a knuckle knife and took a fighting stance. Her eyes sparked with determination upon her target, Van.

"Van!" W-what the hell is going on?

"Tear, put away your weapon." Van suggested. "You misunderstand."

"What do you mean?" She asked, still keeping her stance.

"Calm down. Once you're ready to listen to me, come to the inn." Van started walking to the inn's door and I couldn't help myself with the sudden fear that had grown on my chest. I didn't know why, but I had to get out of there, now!

My eyes focused on one of the windows that could take me to the inn's backyard. I didn't think much and grasped the complex window frame. I was thin enough to slip through one side and crouched beneath the window.

Just in time, because Van came inside in that moment, followed by the others who apparently didn't think much about if it would be a good idea or not. I decided to stay to hear the conversation, when did I became Asch's accomplice?

"Have you calmed down a bit?" That was Van's voice.

"…Why are you trying to interfere with Fon Master Ion's effort to prevent war?" That was Tear, was she always that straightforward?

Van sighed. "Are you still saying that?"

"She's wrong. Isn't she master?" That was Luke; it was awkward to hear Asch's voice in an 'I'm-such-a-good-boy, - Master!' tone.

"But the Six God-Generals are trying to kidnap Ion!" Tear pressed. Wasn't Ion already kidnapped?

"Calm down, Tear. I have no idea why the Fon Master is even here to begin with." Van continued, "All I've heard from the Order is that Ion vanished from the cathedral in Daath."

"I'm sorry, Van. I did that on my own volition." Wait, that sounds like… I carefully peeked inside. Oh my Yulia! Yes, it's Ion! So, he wasn't kidnapped after all…

"I'd appreciate it if you'd fill me in on what's happened up until now." Van crossed his arms expectantly.

"I'm the one that took Ion away. Allow me to explain." Oh, it's Jade! He is so dreamy!

I wanted to hear what Jade wanted to say, but a not so pleasant voice interrupted. "Jude, hey." _He_ whispered.

I looked behind me with a scowl, "You bastard, I thought you left without me." I hissed in a whisper.

Asch was crouching right behind me. He lifted an eye brow with displeasure. "Hey, I couldn't go straight to the inn to pick you up."

I huffed and pretended to listen to what Jade was saying. "Actually… thought you would stay inside…Why did you hide?" He asked curiously.

"I…W-well I just…" I concluded, "I don't know, ok?"

He grinned with satisfaction, like if I had just said what he wanted to hear. I avoided his gaze with embarrassment. So I changed the subject, "You said Ion was kidnapped, but he actually wasn't…"

"That's what they told me…" Asch shrugged listlessly. "Well, Ion isn't _my_ objective anyway…"

"It's Luke…" I concluded. He nodded, slowly.

"You are…going to kill him?" My question was almost inaudible. He shook his head from left to right.

"Look…Van…he isn't what you think…" Asch began, "He is not a good person…" His green eyes looked empty, a dead serious look on his face.

"Why are you telling me this until now?" I shook my head in confusion. Why is he so cooperative now?

He opened his mouth but Van's voice rose and we both returned to listening. "…I see. I do command the Six God-Generals, but they are part of the Grand Maestro faction." Van mused, "It's likely they're under orders from Grand Maestro Mohs."

"I see now." Huh? Who's that blonde guy? "You may have been recalled to steal Ion back from the Malkuth military."

"Yes, perhaps so. The one who attacked you earlier, Asch, is also one of the Six God-Generals. But even I didn't know he was involved in this matter." A rumble sound came from Asch's throat.

"Then, are you saying you have nothing to with this?" Tear, didn't sound convinced though.

"No, considering I was unaware of what my own troops were doing. I must take some responsibility." Van shook his head, "But I don't side with the Grand Maestro faction."

"That's news to me commandant." And who is that little girl? Was she there all the time? She is so tiny…

"I'm the leader of the Six God-Generals, so people tend to assume I side with the Grand Maestro." Van turned to Tear, "For that matter, Tear, you're part of the intelligence division under the Grand Maestro's command." Really? Wow.

"Why are you here?" That's something I wanted to know too.

"I'm searching for something under orders from Mohs." Tear crossed her arms and shift her weight from one foot to the other.

"The Seventh Fonstone?"

"…I'm not at liberty to say." That's definitely, a yes.

"The 'Seventh Fonstone', what's that?" Luke asked looking at his companions. Everyone just stared at him. "What? Quit looking at me like I'm stupid…"

I snorted and Asch huffed in disgust, "Come on, we have to go…"

"Huh? You got the passport?" I looked at him expectantly and he took a small booklet from his pocket with a cocky smile. "Where did you get it?"

"Van dropped it inside the fortress, before even protecting that scum. I was going to give it to you when that idiot and the others appeared." He explained. "We should hurry, and head to Choral Castle."

"Wait! What about Arietta?" I asked, Asch gestured me to lower my voice.

"She's fine; I saw her riding her liger. She already crossed the border." He explained, gesturing to follow him. "That can only mean she is going to do what I say."

We sneaked through the backyard and into the front yard, jumping over the fence, carefully, without being spotted. I sighed, "Ok, fine, let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW! OR YOU CAN DO IT IN THE OTHER CHAPTER AS WELL!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Treason

**This one starts with Asch! :O**

**And thanks to Olivia , who took the time to check this!  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Treason<p>

He looked down at the courtyard; the turf had grown considerably since the last time he was here, trapped. Vines and moss had grown in different parts of the castle, especially in the front. Part of the entrance's cobble path wasn't there anymore, and the part that was still there, was already deteriorating.

The castle was covered by large walls or at least what was left from them, the place was literally falling apart and that was just the outside. Putrid, crumbled, corrosion, withered and dusty were some of the words that came to Asch's head whenever he had to go around inside the castle. Something he didn't like at all, but if he wanted to achieve his goal then, he could bear the unbearable.

Jude wasn't doing better than him; the poor girl's nose couldn't endure these surroundings so she would spend most of the time practicing in the courtyard. She still hadn't give up on their lesson about Field of Fonons. Asch had to admit he had underestimated the girl, he would have bet the she didn't have the resolve to regain her artes. Well, that was when they were still in the Oracle ship. Luckily, he wasn't the type of guy who would bet, that would just mean he would have to eat his words... And he had too much pride to do that.

Jude stood motionless in the courtyard, her eyes closed in full concentration. She extended her left arm, sword in hand. Asch wrapped a hand around the balcony's railing, his forest green eyes focused on her, but his mind was somewhere else.

The blue haired girl had pulled an astonishing trick this morning when they first arrived to the castle. Apparently, Dist had constructed a few fon tech dolls and distributed them around the castle as an afterthought. When they came in, one of these dolls attacked her. Jude had unleashed an arte that was unknown to him and apparently unknown to her as well. Asch shook his head as he thought of the arte she had unleashed.

"_Stygian Rain!" Jude squeezed her eyes and looked away when the doll approached to her. She had automatically whipped out her sword and pierced the doll several times in less than a few seconds. The doll fell to its side and they both stared at it in shock, although Asch hide it with a mere frown._

As he had expected, Jude was unable to pull the same trick when he ordered her to do it again. As simple as it looked, Jude was unable to gather the fonons needed to perform that arte, which was the reason why she was trying to gather fonons outside.

Another reason to investigate the girl that he met a long time ago…

Yes...long ago…before he was kidnapped and replaced by a good-for-nothing impersonator. He never admitted it, but he thought_ nothing_ was Van's fault; he was foolish enough to believe that his mentor was trying to save his life from the _unkind_ fate the Score had saved for him, he thought he cared. He made him believed no one needed him anymore.

Van promised a future when he found out his family was too busy loving his replica, most importantly, he promised his _friend_ would be there.

It didn't took long for Asch to see that the second promise was never going to happen, he could live with that, demoralized, but he could. As for the first promise… a new world…with replicas? That's when all of Asch's expectations went down the toilet…

Asch pushed those thoughts away. His hand wrapped tighter on the railing; the edge was now biting the palm of his hand. His action wasn't related to his unpleasant memories though…

"What do you want to prove, Van?" Asch gritted his teeth and snarled. At first, he thought Jude was faking her memory loss, that Van was using her to watch him closely. But that possibility was discarded when Jude decided to hide from Van back at Kaitzur.

But choosing him as Jude's babysitter was definitely Van's way to challenge him, to test his loyalty and to mock him. 'Here, like I promised, too bad she can't remember you.' Asch could imagine Van saying those words, and it was secretly making him go crazy.

And as if that wasn't disgusting enough, what about the letter Jude delivered for him? Where Van had clearly implied that he was free to do _whatever_ he wanted to her. After all, she had being an early 'present' for his eighteenth's birthday. There was no doubt; both teenagers had poor taste in friends.

"Tch." Asch turned around to press his lower back on the railing; He pressed his elbows on it as well.

He took out the medallion from beneath his tabard and examined the accessory carefully, especially the onyx stone in the center. If there was something that had taken away Jude's pain in the Tartarus, it had to be this object. The medallion had unleashed a bright light seconds before Jude passed out, something he had denied witnessing, mostly because the girl had enough problems at this point.

"What did you do to her?" The space between his eyebrows narrowed with the question. He hid the medallion again; he needed to talk with Jude, he had just reached a decision…

* * *

><p>"YES!" I beamed; my head turned and I gazed at Asch, who was on the balcony. His back facing me, I pouted by his lack of attention, "Asch, god damn it, look, I finally made it!"<p>

Asch looked over his shoulder and raised a brow with poor interest. Just when his eyes had trailed off to the direction I was pointing, the white circular seal that had formed in the ground a few inches away from me, disappeared, just like when you pop a bubble.

"Try again…There's nothing there." He muttered, snapping his neck from left to right. I threw my rapier to the floor and dug my fingers on my hair with frustration. I groaned and cluttered my hair at the same time; I had spent all morning trying to make a Field of Fonons and he didn't get to see it!

This seemed to call his attention, the idiot even turned around to have a better look at my moment of distress, a smirk plastered on his face; he seems to enjoy my suffering.

"It was there, you idiot! Right there!" I spluttered, still pointing at the spot. He kept his smirk; he used the railing as support and swung his legs gracefully, jumping from the balcony and landing a few feet away in the courtyard. Asch had got used to my extended vocabulary more than anyone else. Ninety-nine percent of my colorful profanities were addressed to him.

"If you can't keep the fonons there for a while, it's no use." He argued, walking to me.

I crossed my arms and pouted. "Whatever…"

"Hey…Jude…"

"What is it?" Just when I glanced back to him, there was nothing else to ask. The smirk on his face had faded, his stoic mask was there again, and so, I spoke before he did. "Hey, I'm not telling anyone, ok?"

He looked away with a grunt. Just like he promised, Asch told me…about Luke. He didn't go through details, he only told me he was kidnapped by Van and that they made his replica here, in Choral Castle. If I was correct, the only way to do a replica was through fomicry. When Asch found out his replica had taken his place at the mansion, there was nothing else to do.

He didn't say Van's reasons and I didn't asked him either, he didn't look comfortable talking about it and I didn't blame him. The reason he hated Luke so much was clear now, Luke had taken away everything from him. What I couldn't understand was why he was still with Van. Maybe because he had nowhere else to go…

That kept me thinking for a while, in my dream I saw…Asch? Well, it could be, since Luke was supposed to be his real name, though he never told me exactly _when_ he was kidnapped. So, it could be his replica as well. Well, whoever it was, it was just a dream anyway…just a dream.

How could Van do something like that? If you asked me who I trusted now, Asch or Van? I would answer Asch. Even if Van had been my friend, I had more memories…No, new memories with Asch and he wasn't lying, Luke was proof of it.

"I-It's not about that…" He growled avoiding my gaze. "But, thanks…replicas aren't something people should know about, they are disgusting…" Asch didn't hate just his replica, but replicas in general, it was obvious.

He continued. "I need to go back to Daath, there is something I need to investigate."

"Oh… Aren't you going to make sure they open Luke's fon slots?" I crouched to pick up my rapier and slide it into the sheath again.

Asch explained it when we were on our way to the castle. He said he needed to open Luke's fon slots in order to communicate with him, which was fine by me as long as no one got killed.

"That's why I need you to stay here." His eyes darted to the courtyard's entrance.

"Whoa, wait!" I didn't hide how unpleasant that sounded. "You're leaving…and I have to stay…here?" Asch knew I would protest, he knew I wouldn't let him go that easily, that's why he started walking slowly towards the entrance, coward. "Hey, wait! Get back here!"

He turned around and rubbed his forehead in frustration, "Jude, I can't take you with me, besides it's not like I'm not going to come back for you…"

"You're lying; Van forced you to do this, why would you come back?" Now I was yelling, fuming. He CAN'T leave me with Sync, Dist and Arietta. That's not… I don't want to stay here if he is going to leave!

"Because I-" He broke off and growled as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Because you _what_, Asch?" I roared back in a defying tone.

"Because I can't have you running off and getting killed while you're still useful!" He yelled, clearly frustrated. I shook my head and gave him a stern look; I was a tool, just like Arietta.

"Fine! You know what? You don't have to come back for me if you don't want to!" With that I stormed off to the castle, I looked back; he took a short glance at me. Well, it was more like a glare, and then he turned on his heel to make his way out.

* * *

><p>"So, they are finally here." Sync smirked from under his beak-like mask.<p>

"Yes, the first doll has been activated!" Dist whimpered in excitement while he tapped the keys of his keyboard. His screen filled with codes and symbols I couldn't understand.

I was sitting on the floor, in one corner. My back pressing on the short wall, my upper calf resting on my knee, arms crossed and a sulking expression on my face. The machine we'd use to open Luke's fon slots was above our heads and the room was surrounded by the ocean's water since it was in the lowest part of the castle.

"I'm impressed that doll is still working." Sync snorted taking a brief look in my direction.

"She is a savage!" Dist bared his teeth angrily. "It was one of my newest models!"

"Hey! That thing attacked me!" I protested. "What was I suppose to do?"

"You could have run!" Dist leaped and pointed me with a finger.

"I'm not like you!" I scoffed, Sync grinned while Dist made a tantrum swinging his fists in the air. "And that's for saying stupid things back at the Tartarus!"

Sync chuckled darkly. "Someone is in a bad mood today, what's wrong?" He mocked, "Mad because your boyfriend left you?"

"Shut up, Sync!" I hissed. Dist had taken out his 'Revenge Journal' and a pen, he was scribbling furiously; that would be the second time he writes my name this day.

"Whatever…" Sync shrugged with a snort and started working on the machine that was right beside me. "We need to end the preparations; they can't see us when they get here."

I grunted and pressed my arms tighter on my stomach; my discussion with Asch had left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Would he really come back for me after what I said? Oh, he was bold enough to leave me here! Staying with Asch was better than staying with a fourteen year old kid that is always bossing around, a little dispirited girl that has her own zoo and a crazy scientist that is likely to hold grudges on everyone. Yeah, Largo told me that Dist had wrote everyone's name on his journal, at least once.

Why should I even care about Luke's fon slots when Asch is only using me? I jumped to my feet with a huff, "I'm bored! I'll go take a nap."

Sync shook his head without looking back, "Try not to get caught, that would screw up our plans."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't worry; I'll be in that secret chamber, you guys found." That chamber was in one of the rooms beside this one, just behind a bookshelf. I climbed up the stairs and used the machine's bridge-like ring to get to the other staircase. I thought about Luke as I walked through the dusky halls, he obviously didn't know he was a replica, what would he do if he ever found out? I'm not even sure how I would feel about it.

I pressed the hidden switch beneath one of the room's lamps; the bookshelf slid sideways revealing a secret door. I rubbed my nose as I opened the door, the dust tickling on my nose.

Fortunately, my allergy wouldn't bother so much in the secret chamber since there was barely any dust there. The chamber was extremely small and dark; there was no furniture except for an ocher couch, the only thing I needed to get some sleep.

I pressed the switch from the inner side of the secret chamber and the bookshelf slid back to its place. There were no windows in the room so I was in complete darkness, I couldn't even see my hands. Even like that, it was comfortable. I plopped over the couch and closed my eyes hoping to get a little bit of rest. It didn't take me long…to fall asleep…

When I opened my eyes again, I found the same darkness. I yawned lazily; I wonder if Sync and Dist are already do-

Wait a minute…would they… leave without me? I mean, if Asch did…why wouldn't…they… OH SHIT! I jumped from the couch and to my feet, which was a total fail because I ended smacking my head on the wall.

Oh, son of a… I scrambled to my feet and searched for the damn switch. The bookshelf moved again and I ran to the laboratory, they better be there!

To my relief, I could hear their voices as I reached the stairs that could take me to the lab.

"…Ah I see." That was Dist's voice. "Even the fonon frequency is the same. This is a perfect creation." He mused. I had slowed down my pace as I went down the stairs; I was still far to see where they were.

"That's not important. We have to erase the data before they come back." That was Sync, my pace slowed even more, I could see Sync now. My eyes trailed off to the machine. It was glowing with a green light and over it… an unconscious Luke.

"If the data here was that important, you shouldn't have had Asch use Choral Castle in the first place." I stopped completely and pressed my back on the wall. They couldn't see me from here.

"That idiot came here on his own. We'll have to have Van punish him later." Sync replied torpidly. Oh, no… Asch is... I couldn't finish that thought, my head started spinning all of a sudden, I pressed my head on the wall. Damn it…not now…

"Oh, look. This idiot is finally coming around." I peeked, using the wall as support. My limbs started to feel numb, Luke had waked up, but he was too disorientated to say anything.

"No matter. I've already opened his synchronized fon slots." Dist flew to Sync's side, an evil smile on his face. "I'll be going now. I can't wait to analyze this data. Heh heh heh heh."

As soon as Dist flew away, who knows where, I fell on my side. My body was too heavy.

I didn't even get to try to land in a better position since my whole body had paralyzed now. The loud thump drew Sync's attention and I couldn't do anything, it was like if I had turned into a rag doll. I could only stare in horror as he approached me, an evil smirk on his face. I don't think I was breathing at all.

"Well, well, now we have a problem Jude..." He laughed. "I suppose you heard that conversation just now…I have heard you are even more screwed than this idiot, whatever they did to you… it's working." What the hell is he talking about?

I couldn't even blink, not even a choking sound escape from my throat. He crouched in front of me, "So, what am I going to do with you?" My left eye started stinging again, and in a fraction of a second, another memory rushed through my eyes…

-0-0-0-

Memory Fragment: Hypocrites (age: 10)

I looked around to make sure the coast was clear, "Now, let's go!" I murmured and ran inside the conference room.

"W-wait, Jude!" Tear ran after me. "What if they catch us?"

I looked back at her as I bowed beneath the large conference table. "They won't if you hurry up!"

Tear jolted with a nod and crawled beneath the table after me. The elders of the city were about to have a meeting, one I couldn't miss. They always had these meetings three times a month, one of those meetings was always related to my 'ill-considered' actions and that was ok, really…

But lately, there had been more, I mean; wouldn't anyone get suspicious after the eighth meeting? If I had known it didn't have to do with me then, I wouldn't have mind, but unfortunately, i nnew it had to do with me…two reasons.

The first one was because of the scold I got today and second; Van had come all the way from Daath for this meeting. To say this problem started two years ago…

"So, how come you lost _it_ in Duke Fabre's manor?" Tear asked crawling to my side.

"I…well, it's complicated…" I poked my fingers nervously. "It's that…I didn't…"

"You didn't lose the amulet?" Tear raised a brow, "Then, what happened?"

"Well…I…gave it to someone…"

"Wait, you are telling me you know who has it?" Tear crossed her arms in disapproval. "But you have been saying you lost it back there. Why didn't you tell me?"

I crawled closer to her, and whispered, "…it's just…things didn't go pretty well at the manor, I really don't want to talk about it…"

Tear frowned, but didn't push the matter further. At that moment, the doorknob rattled, and we looked at each other in horror, scuttling to the far end of the table. The footsteps grew louder, their tired legs were the only things we could see as they approached and sat down.

Tear shivered, knowing we had to stay quite or else we would be doomed, Mayor Teodoro was there too. Actually, he was the president of the council, and IF we were afraid of getting caught, it was because of him.

They were all talking at the same time, the noise of a crowd; I couldn't quite understand what they were saying. Mayor Teodoro knocked his gavel on the sounding block to call their attention. "Silence! The meeting is taking place now."

Everyone shut their mouths, a pleasant silence spread in the room after all that rattle. So, he continued, "I want to remind all of you, we don't have much time. We must reach a decision now…"

"That's true," Mr. Thomas' voice rang. "But remember this isn't only about Jude. It's about our sentinels too, they are dying!" I looked back at Tear with a questioning look, she only shrugged.

"He is right," Mrs. Sullivan stated. "Jude can't stay here anymore!" I shook my head in silent disbelief as Tear covered her mouth with her hands to muffle a gasp.

"Now that Mystic is no longer in our hands-" The door creaked open, and the elder that had been talking shut his mouth. A familiar pair of white boots reached the only empty seat in the room, his footsteps echoed through the quietness that had sprout again.

"How did things go?" Mayor Teodoro broke the silence; Van had created, with a casual tone.

"Like I said before, there is nothing at the manor." There was an unsatisfied tone in Van's voice as he sat down. "We have looked for that trinket everywhere."

"Trinket!" Mr. Thomas roared. "Don't you dare call Mystic a trinket!" Both of us jolted at the old man's outburst.

Van stood up in a slow, calmed manner. "It's the third time THIS year… Duke Fabre is getting tired and to be honest I'm getting tired too."

He paused briefly and then continued, "I'm tired to be the only one in this room that doesn't know why that _trinket _is so important. Why did Jude have something that important in the first place?" I remembered Danny saying she found me in the trash can, along with the amulet. She said it belonged to me.

…Danny…she used to be in the council too… She used to sit in that empty seat, Van had taken. Ironically, her death was one of the reasons I ended up going to Duke Fabre's Manor…

None of the elders answered Van's question.

Instead, Mr. Mackenzie opened his big mouth; "I asked myself the same question, we all knew that brat would cause us troubles the day we read her birth score!" Pfff, he hated me because his cat, Mittens, was always following me.

"Yes, that girl has been giving us troubles all this time. Losing Mystic is going too far!" A random elder hissed, I didn't even bother to figure out who it was, they are all hypocrites, they had never said such things to me. "She should be punished; she isn't a little baby anymore."

"Are you suggesting exiling a ten year old girl?" Mayor Teodoro's voice rose bitterly. "Don't you remember who that child is?"

"But Abydos is-"

"Abydos doesn't exist anymore!" Mayo Teodoro's chair screeched when he stood up.

"You are older… but you are far from being wise…" Van mused. "If Jude is your problem, then I'll take her with me to Daath. She could join the Order of Lorelei."

"Isn't that brat too young to be a soldier?"

"Actually, she is in the appropriate age to join." Van remarked, "And her name is Jude." Even though I couldn't see Van's face, I could feel the tension.

"Van, unfortunately an old dog can't learn new tricks." Mayor Teodoro sighed. "I'm afraid we can only leave Jude in you capable hands..."

I couldn't take it any longer and crawled out from beneath the table. I ran off to Van, embracing him, well, his legs actually.

"J-Jude!" Tear crawled after me. Van twitched, he wasn't expecting to be attacked by a ten year old girl all of a sudden. And he wasn't expecting to see his young sister as well.

Tear stiffen when she realized everyone was staring at us, some with shock, others with guilt but most of them with disapproval. "H-how did we get here?" Tear laughed nervously with a shrug.

"Jude…" Van gasped with sadness.

"It's ok…" I lied, letting him go. My eyes met Tear's hopeless eyes, I grinned placing my arm around her shoulder and that made her smile. We knew some day it would happen, it happened with Van and we had already suffered that… a separation.

We knew Auldrant's key to survival was there, that this world was tough and messed. War, hunger and crime, that's what Van used to say. Mayor Teodoro forced a smiled; even if he really wasn't happy, it was something I wasn't expecting to see, less, in these circumstances.

"Jude, Tear, why don't you go out?" Van patted us in the back. "There is something the elders _need _to explain before anything else." We both nodded innocently, or at least I pretended to, and head for the door. Tear went out first; I grabbed the door knob and looked back at the rest of the elders.

"I swear, I'll come back and make you pay…" My face contorted with a face I had only seen on Luke fon Fabre's youthful face. An icy glare that would have made anyone shudder, the elders weren't an exception. I smiled mischievously as I closed the door behind me; from all the things I could have learned from Luke, this one was really useful to me.

-0-0-0-

Like I said, it was just a fraction of a second; all that memory's information sank on my brain at once and because of that, I couldn't process anything at the moment. My body didn't feel heavy anymore, but for some reason, I was too tired to move.

Sync was still crouching on my side when Luke spoke, "What the hell did you do to me?" He almost sounded like Asch. Sync rose and walked to him, "I have no reason to answer that question."

I managed to stand up with the help of the wall, my left hand holding the hilt of my rapier. But before I could do my first move, someone else attacked him. Like out of nowhere, the blond guy that I saw with Tear and the others, assaulted. Sync was able to dodge the blade gracefully with a back flip.

"No!" Sync grunted, the blond guy had the fon disc in his hand. Sync dashed to him and attacked, they were engaged in a furious battle but the blondie's blade reached Sync's face and tipped his mask off his face; I couldn't see his face from where I was.

"…What?" The blondie sounded confused. "…You?"

I took that moment on my advantage to attacked Sync's exposed side, I unsheathed my sword. The tip of my blade was about to touch him when …

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! YOU?" The loud scream made me lose concentration.

It startled me and my reaction was to stop doing whatever I was about to do and scream back at him."AHHHHHHHHH! What the _hell_ was that for?"

Whatever made him scream like a lady, to say the least, made his oh-so-brave semblance fade away.

"Guy!" It was the voice of a young girl. "What is it?"

But before I could detect where the voice came from, Sync kicked me on the back making me fall, ungracefully, at the lower part of the lab. When I say 'ungracefully' I mean landing on my stomach. Another kick and Guy landed on his feet a few feet away from me.

"Damn it, they are here!" I heard Sync hissed. I scrambled to my feet, groaning in pain. "This was an unauthorized mission. It's too bad I can't kill you myself, but I'll leave it in Arietta's capable hands."

Sync stepped back, "She's on the roof with the hostage. Hope you enjoy our little game." Ugh, that treacherous little bastard!

"Whew…" Luke sighed. "What the hell was all that..?"

"What is it, Guy?" Oh, Lorelei. It's Ion! My feet where literally glued to the floor, I was so excited.

"Oh…nothing." Guy looked at me from the corner of his eye before looking away. "I got hold of a strange fon disc, so I was just wondering what it was."

"Let's have Jade look into it later."

"Jude?" I glanced up to the machine's direction. It was Tear. But my eyes trailed off quickly when Jade, who was beside me, poked me gently with his spear as he folded his left arm behind his back, making me yelp. When did he get there? Okay, he is handsome AND dangerous.

"And who might you be?" Jade smiled, but the tip of his spear was touching my neck, nearly drawing blood.

"Colonel, wait! I know her!" Tear ran down to where we were.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Jade replied matter-of-factly.

"HEY! That's the weird chick!" Luke sulked; the little girl was beside him, she stuck out her tongue at me. And the cheagle flying behind Luke... Well, he just floated there, looking cute.

"What did you say?" I barked, giving him a poisonous glare. He crossed his arms and glared at me, the girl mimicked him.

"Jude, why are you here?" I redirected my attention to Tear and her question.

"I…was…just…" Oh, crap…What should I say? Jade saw me in the Tartarus, so there is no way a lie could fit here. Everyone was looking at me expectantly; it was then that I noticed my rapier was nowhere to be found. I must have dropped it when Sync kicked me. My eyes quickly scanned the area.

"Are you looking for this?" Jade unfolded his left arm, he had my rapier.

"I was just…I…" My eyes locked on Guy. "I was just trying to help… Guy!"

"How do you know his name?" The small girl had wrapped her arms around Luke's waist, he twitched.

I replied, "Because _you _said it."

Guy raised a brow suspiciously, but then said, "She's right. She attacked him but she got too close to me…" Everyone looked at him in an 'aahhh that makes senses' way, what the hell?

"You almost gave me a heart attack." I pouted, Jade didn't seem that convinced of course.

Tear noticed as well. "I trust her…Jude is a friend of mine…" She stepped in front of me. Jade studied her face for a moment.

"She can't be a bad person if she is Tear's friend." Ion spoke taking a few steps toward Jade. _Oh, Ion!_ I was squeaking inside. Jade, however, wasn't biting.

"Have you all forgotten what happened on the Tartarus? This woman is our enemy."

Guy rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, but she seems like a nice person," He glanced at Luke, like expecting him to say something, but he didn't. "But she didn't tell us why she is here…" All eyes turned to me again, but I had an answer now.

"Hey, isn't there someone you need to rescue? I'll explain everything once that engineer is safe." This time, Jade looked like he was actually considering that.

He sighed, but it came out as more of a growl. "Fine, but I'll keep this, I think. Give me the sheath." I unbuckled my belt and gave it to him. "Guy, Anise, watch her movements." He looked back at me as he fastened my belt around his own waist. "And don't get too close to Ion." _Damn it!_

I heaved a sigh, "Fine." A small smile drew in Tears face but it quickly faded when she gazed at Luke.

"Are you ok, Luke?" She rested a hand on her waist. "What in the world did they want to kidnap you for…?" Jade looked at me from the corner of his eye. Damn it, this won't be easy.

"How should I know? Why the hell does this stuff always happen to me? " He whined with a stern look. It'll be hard to get used to that…

"It's Arietta's fault!" Anise growled, "She's going to pay for this!"

"She's on the roof, right?" Jade's spear disappeared and tucked his hands inside his pockets. My rapier was now hanging deliciously off of his hip. "I hate running around like this, but we have no choice. Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked this chapters, please comment or send a pm!<strong>

**I still don't know what is going to happen next chapter! Give me a little bit of time to write the next one.  
><strong>

** XP**


	6. Chapter 6: Don't Rock the Boat

**I really enjoyed doing this one since Jude starts to interact with the characters.** **I'm going to thank LifeEqualsMusic AGAIN** **for knowing Jade like the plan of her hand without her help getting Jade into character would be harder.**

***Ahem* Moving on,** **you guys know TOA is not my property,** **otherwise Asch would have kept his hair down...**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Don't Rock the Boat<p>

Luke was walking in front of me, his cheagle following him as always, what's his name? Mieu? Anyway, from all of us, only Tear looked comfortable with this situation; I think she was just happy that I was ok.

I could feel Jade gazing at me from behind, it almost felt like his gaze was burning my back. It was obvious he would be the first one to act if I did something 'wrong'.

Guy wore a thoughtful expression on his face; his eyes would flicker from Luke then to me, constantly. Even though he was supposed to watch my movements, there was a lot of space between us, almost like an invisible barrier. Oddly enough, this barrier was used against Tear an Anise as well.

Anise was walking right next to me and at her other side was Ion, talking about barriers! I could understand why they had taken away my weapon, but keeping me away from Ion is inhumane! Even Ion didn't look happy about that.

With all the things that had happen it was difficult to decide what to analyze first, Asch was going to get punished, my body kept having weird reactions and then that memory that sprouted. Everything had happen so fast, I still couldn't understand all this information; I would have to think about all of this once I get out of here.

Tear's voice made me come back to reality, "Jude, are you ok? I'm sorry for what happened back there…" It was weird to hear concern in her voice while there was such a stoic expression on her face.

"Oh, don't apologize; it's not your fault." I tried faking a smile. If Asch had taken me with him, this would never have happened!

She opened her mouth to say something but Anise's giggle interrupted her.

"Did you guys saw Tear's smile when she saw Jude?" Anise beamed mischievously, "It was priceless!"

"T-that's not-"

"Oh, yeah." Luke looked back with a smug, "It something you don't see every day..."

"It was cute." Guy added with a genuine smile. Ion giggled.

Tear's face deepened with a red shade, she tried to hide it bowing her head a little. It made me snort and I grinned giving her a loose hug. "Awww, come on Tear, don't be so shy!"

"J-Jude, please behave!" Tear's face was completely crimson now as she tried to push me away. I chuckled as I let her go; everyone was looking at me with amusement.

An evil smile drew on Anise's face, "Say, Colonel. Don't you think the Six God-Generals would want her back?" She pointed me with a thumb.

I raised a brow and spoke before Jade could, "Pfff, I doubt it!" Involuntary resentment leaked out from my words.

"Oh, is that so…?" I turned to Jade, the smirk on his face made my heart skip a beat. "Are you really sure…?" My face went completely pale, the way he said it had a double meaning, something that could probably involve Asch.

An unwitting laugh escaped from my throat. Actually, it was more of a nervous laugh, and it was the only thing I could think of to dissolve the awkwardness. As expected, it didn't work, and I only managed to make everyone stare at me suspiciously. Jade's smile was still there, but his eyes were steely; by my reaction he knew I'd understood. I knew his words were a warning.

We were just getting to the last stairs when Luke grabbed Mieu from his head and ran to the topside. That earned him sighs and rolled eyes from a few of our party members, we ran after him. The sound of flames made them run faster. Honestly, I was just running away from 'the Colonel', who was right behind me.

"Heh heh! I'm not falling for that again!" Luke laughed; apparently, he used Mieu's ability to avoid getting caught again.

Anise squealed, "Luke, you're amazing!" But Jade was able to erase Luke's triumphant smile with his next comment, "Not bad, for you."

"Oh, give it a rest!" Luke growled back. I looked over his shoulder; Arietta had a baleful expression in her face, her Liger and Hresvelgr standing by the unconscious engineer. That reminded me why she was so mad.

"You shot fire…at my friend!" She hissed. "I'm really going to make you pay now!"

"Shut up already!" Luke gave her an indignant look. "You've caused enough trouble, you little brat!"

"I don't care! I'll kill you all and take Ion back!" The way she said it suggested I wasn't an exception. "You killed mommy! Now, you die!"

I had to stay back for obvious circumstances (Staying away because of Anise's puppet is also an acceptable answer.), not so close to Ion though, even while fighting, Jade would deliberately watch me from his position. I have to gain his trust, somehow…

I didn't have to think much, the idea popped in my head really quick. My eyes locked on the engineer, he was at the other side of the roof. If I could drag him to this side, then he would be safe, plus that would boost everyone's confidence over me. I looked for the appropriate moment to take action. Luke and the others had managed to corner Arietta and her beasts on one side, there that's it!

I ran without thinking twice, "Jude, wait!" Ion's voice drew Guy's attention, which drew Anise's attention, which drew Luke's attention and so on, until it reached Arietta. I was able to grab the man by the ropes that were tied around his chest and arms; I was able to pull him only once because now Arietta's Hresvelgr was blocking my way, the feathers on the tip of its wings brushed my hair.

"Ugh, get away stupid bird!" I growled swinging an arm on the air. Luke and Guy came to the rescue attacking the blue bird from behind. And I took that moment on my advantage to take us out of there. Thank Yulia, this guy is skinny!

Anise blocked the Liger's way when it had come looking for me, I was able to get to Ion's side safely thanks to them. Not to mention, Tear and Jade were keeping Arietta entertained. Ion looked pretty much relieved now that I wasn't in the battlefield anymore. Not long after that, Arietta and her monsters fell to the floor with exhaustion.

"I knew letting her live would come back to haunt us." Jade sighed pacing toward Arietta; his spear reappeared in a flash, holy shit! How did he do that?

But Ion blocked his way. "Wait! I'll take Arietta back for an inquiry before the Order of Lorelei." He exclaimed stretching his hands protectively. "So, please don't take her life…"

I was untying the now conscious civilian beside Jade, when _his_ voice reached our ears. "Yes, that would be the best." I instinctively hide behind Jade.

"Master…" Luke mumble as Van walked to us. Hmmm, Jade has a nice back!

"There was no word of the Fon Master's arrival in Kaitzur, so I came here just in case…"

Ion bowed his head guilty, "I'm sorry, Van…" Ha! Van should be the one feeling sorry.

"There's no point in dwelling on what's already been done." Van stated, I couldn't see his face since I was behind Jade. "I'll take Arietta into my custody. Is that all right with you?"

Ion's head rose, a smile on his face, "Yes, please do. And please treat her wounds." Asch was right about Ion; he wouldn't let anything happen to Arietta. Van stepped forward and everyone else stepped back so he could see Arietta. I acted like Jade's shadow and slipped behind him again.

"How do you plan to explain her crimes to His Majesty and the military?" Guy asked as Van lifted Arietta between his arms. Ion answered his question saying they would follow a proper procedure and that she would eventually have a punishment. I felt a little bad for her.

Van said he would escort the engineer and that there was a coach for us from the Kaitzur Commander, Count Almandine. Everyone agreed that accepting the ride was the best option. Just when Van was about to leave, he spotted me.

"Jude? What are you doing here?" He asked mildly surprised.

"Oh, V-Van, hi!" I faked an ultra happy smile.

Van shook his head and sighed, "I should have seen this coming when Arietta said Asch had planned all this. I'm really sorry you got involved in this matter, Jude."

"I-It's its ok…" It was really hard to act normal when I knew what he did.

"Have you remembered much?"

"Barely…"

"Van, what are you talking about?" Tear asked curiously.

Van looked at her and heaved another sigh.

"Jude fell off a cliff not so long ago, and she lost her memory. She seems to remember a little now, though…" He looked away when Tear's face reflected pure shock. "The Six God-Generals were supposed to take care of her." He didn't mention Asch.

"So, that's why…" Jade mused, looking at me.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." I rubbed my head. Again, everyone was looking at me, this time with discouragement.

"I was planning a reunion so you could see her," Van said as he glanced at Tear, "I guess the best we can do know is to let her go with you." We all looked back at Jade at the same time, and he placed a hand over his forehead. He was obviously the only person that would protest, my poor heart wouldn't handle his rejection.

"I think we don't have much choice…" he sighed. Hooray!

Van had explained everything, and I was glad he did. I would have screwed everything up if I had explained, and with that, we left the castle and headed to Kaitzur on the coach. It was then that I started thinking about what had happened to me back at the castle. The first thing I had noticed was that something was wrong with me, with my body; does this have anything to do with me falling from the cliff? But Sync said, 'whatever _they_ did to you…' What's that supposed to mean?

I wasn't going to get an answer now that was for sure, so I concentrated on what I'd remembered. I was with Tear, we were listening to the conversation of the elders, and they… They were talking about me. I closed my eyes trying to remember piece by piece. They said I lost something...in…Duke…Fabre's... Oh, whoa!

That's right! I lost, what was it…Mystic? An amulet, but that would only mean the 'dream' with Luke wasn't a dream at all. I actually met Luke fon Fabre…this Luke? Or Asch? Would Asch tell me if it was him…? To figure out I would have to investigate. Apparently, I joined the Order of Lorelei when I was ten, after I was exiled from Yulia City. I know there was more but I can't remember now, damn it!

It didn't took us long to get to Kaitzur, we hopped out of the coach. Everybody had been silent since we left Choral Castle, and they all had thoughtful looks while we had been riding it. Van explained the repair of the ship had already begun and that the only thing left was to repair the engine, which was the rescued engineer's area. He said he would do it right away.

We followed Van to the Kimlascan Base, and met Count Almandine there. He pulled Luke, Ion and Jade away to talk to them, while the rest of us were eavesdropping behind them. They talked about Arietta and then Luke mentioned something about sending a message to his father, something about a letter of peace Jade needed to be delivered.

"Where are we going?" I tilted my head looking at Tear.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know," she began, crossing her arms, "we are heading to Baticul. We are trying to stop a war between Kimlasca and Malkuth." Oh, right, Tear said something about Ion's efforts to avoid a war when Asch and I heard their conversation back at the inn.

"That's also were Luke's manor is, we need to take him back." Guy added. I frowned as a question popped into my head.

"How did you end up traveling with him, anyway?" Tear's gaze met the floor with guilt, and as she opened her mouth to answer she was cut off by Luke.

"Tear tried to kill Master Van in the manor." Luke growled with disapproval.

Tear continued, a sullen look on her face, "Luke got in the way and there was a hyperresonance between us, we ended up in Malkuth territory." My eyes flickered from Luke to her; they were looking at each other like they could stab one another anytime.

"Hey, easy guys…"I waved my hands to draw their attention. I wonder why Tear wanted to kill Van in the first place.

Luke looked at me, a who-the-hell-do-you-think-you-are? expression on his face. "Hey, mind your own business!"

Tear gave him an indignant look but I spoke first, "Whether you like it or not, this IS my business, you dumbass!"

"What did you-"

"Please don't fight!" Mieu said getting between us. Luke gave him a stern look and grabbed Mieu's tiny body with one hand, bringing him close to his face.

"Shut up, thing!" Luke spat. Guy crossed his arms and heaved a sigh. I'm not impressed he is a total jerk. Anise who had been busy hearing the rest the conversation sauntered to our direction.

She wrapped her tiny arms around Luke's waist. "It seems like we'll spend the night here, Luke. The ship will be ready by tomorrow!" She beamed and an ultra-sweet tone was in her voice.

We did end up staying in the port that night, and I asked a lot of questions, learning how Anise became Ion's guardian, about Guy's phobia and the fact that he was Luke's servant, the poor bastard.

I also learned what had happened during their journey up to this point. It was actually them who had killed Arietta's mother, but only because she attacked them. Then there was Mieu, and I felt sympathy towards him when he told me that he had been exiled from his home as well. I wonder if he misses home…

* * *

><p>Kaitzur's Naval Port, while everyone was sleeping…<p>

A shadow rose from under the covers of one of the beds and moved stealthily through the darkness. Thinking over each step, quietness was priority, that's what Guy thought.

He closed the door behind him; many thoughts were going through his head at the moment, most of them from his childhood, before and after the assassination of his family. The knee-jerking mix of feelings was pressing on his chest, hate, guilt, sadness, selfishness…Those were the reasons for the current restlessness lying deep inside him.

The soothing sound of the ocean wasn't pleasing right now; the crashing sounds of the waves drumming in his ears, he could hear blades clashing into each other, the battle roar of men fighting for their lives. The strong winds sounded like women crying, yelling his name.

He needed to take a stroll, he needed to hear those sounds clearer and prove himself that it was only his imagination. Even if the sounds where just in his head, he knew something was not right. He knew who Jude was, she visited Duke Fabre's manor a long time ago, before Luke was kidnapped and lost his memory.

Guy thought Jude would make his memory sprout again, but nothing happened. And it was just plain odd to see her now in the same state. What was Van thinking, anyway? He, more than anyone knew Jude was forbidden to go to the manor. Well, actually she was forbidden to be anywhere near Luke, so why was Van letting her go with them?

Guy stopped, his steel blue eyes met the back of a familiar shadow; he frowned and walked to the Commandant, who was currently admiring how the waves of the ocean beat each other to death. There was no need for Guy to say anything.

"I knew you would seek for an answer…" The Commandant said, his gaze still locked on the ocean's battlefield.

"Why are you involving her?" The tone belonged to Gailardia Galan Gardios, his old master.

"Gailardia, don't you trust me?" He asked instead. "I'm just reassuring Tear's happiness…"

"Taking Jude to the manor could get her killed, you know that. Duke Fab-"

"I'm aware of what he said." Van peered at him from the corner of his eye. "You'll get your vengeance soon enough. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I…" Guy looked back at the sea, fake determination gleaming on his eyes, "Of course."

"Then, watch…" A small smile formed in Van's face, yet his eyes were steely. "You'll stain your hands what's only necessary... Go to sleep…"

Guy turned on his heel without saying anything; he peered one last time to his accomplice's direction and then paced away, the uneasiness never left.

Van eyes trailed off to the sky, dull clouds obstructing the dark-bluish sky. He smiled again when he felt the presence of the man he had been waiting for. He didn't even minded turning around, his visitor was covering his face with the hood of a black cloak anyway.

Van pulled out a medallion; a perfect twin to Asch's capacity core, the chromatic wings, the structure, everything except for the small stone in the center, this one was a topaz stone.

The cloaked man behind him smirked and said "The storm is coming…"

* * *

><p>We set sail the next day, I didn't sleep at all; I was too worried about Asch, the only reason I was calmed was because Van was with us, I would be able to observe him this way. I walked to the bow of the ship; the oscillation of the waves drew my attention, the sound of the water was somehow relaxing and the breeze carried the same salty smell of the ocean.<p>

The Kastbet Ferry, the smell of the ocean and the seagulls reminded me of the long trip in the Oracle ship, so even if I didn't want to, I would end up thinking about Asch. What would he say when he gets to know I'm with _them_? Did he even cared? I rested my elbows on the ship's railing, Asch isn't a bad person, and I considered him a friend even if he saw me like a burden. That idiot never told me what he was going to investigate. Well, maybe if I had asked instead of yelling at him…Wait! What? Nu uh, this isn't my fault!

I was cursing under my breath when Luke called out, "Hey, you."

I turned around lazily, "The name is Jude." I barked.

"Dude, Nude, Jude, whatever your name is." He rested his hands on his waist in a high and mighty way. "You need to answer some questions!"

What an asshole, "Don't waste your time, I'm not going to answer your stupid questions."

"Yes, you will. I'm ordering you to do it." He brutally poked my shoulder a few times. "Now, answer me, who did you think I was back at the Tartarus?"

A devilish smile formed in my lips, "Oh, well, you know. All idiots look the same, so you shouldn't worry about that." You can bet I meant that!

"HEY!" He whined. I ignored him and turned to the endless ocean in front of us. "Don't ignore me. I'm not done with you!"

I rolled my eyes and he stepped beside me trying to get a glimpse of my face. His next question caught me off guard, "You lost your memory too?"

I blinked a couple of times before looking at him, "Yes…You lost your memory? How?" An arrogant smile appeared on his face now that he had my attention.

"I was kidnapped by the Malkuth Empire seven years ago; I can't remember anything after that." He shrugged. Seven years ago? That means Asch was…

"You lost your memory falling off a cliff? That's stupid." I didn't think much when I kicked him in the balls. He fell to his knees and groaned in pain.

"_You _are the stupid one, thinking _I_ wouldn't kick your ass to next week and back!" One of my eyes twitched with anger, not even Asch had made me this angry. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Owwww, what's your problem?" He growled, rocking back and forth.

"_You_ are my problem, you moron!" I grunted trying to calm myself. "That's why you asked? To make fun of me?"

"I-I was just curious!" He snapped scrambling to his feet. He turned on his heel and his hair swung with the movement, crashing on my face. He stomped away and I stared at him dumbfounded. Killing a noble would make things worse; killing a noble would make things worse!

"Under normal circumstances, I'd disapprove of attacking an ally," I jumped when I heard Jade behind me. I turned around quickly. "But a bruised ego is exactly what that arrogant noble needs."

"O-oh… You saw that…"Jade chuckled, surprisingly light-heartedly. Oh, what a beautiful smile!

"Yes, I did, and I must say, you reacted quite well. It's fairly clear that you were once a fighter of some sort."He unbuckled my belt from his hips and held it out to me, rapier attached. "I believe this is yours."

"Um, yeah, you took it from me, why?" I frowned, not understanding.

"When you used me as a visual shield from Van, it was clear that you don't side with him or the God-Generals," he explained, and held the rapier out farther.

"So, you're giving me back my sword?" Jade chuckled darkly, a wryly smile on his face.

"It's too beautiful a blade to keep from its true owner. Besides, I don't think you'll betray us. At least, not until you find Asch." My heart stopped, and I gawked back at him.

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded, finally taking my sword back, and fastening the belt around my own hips. It was a little hard, my hands were trembling.

"That's the ring of House Fabre you're wearing. It's obvious you didn't get it from Luke, so it must have been Asch." I felt myself beginning to panic, but I forced down the lump in my throat. He was pointing at the capacity core Asch gave to me.

"How… How did you find out?" I asked, not as calmly as I would've liked, and Jade shrugged.

"I didn't. Of course, I've had my suspicions for a while now, but you've just confirmed them. Asch really is the true Luke fon Fabre." He closed his eyes putting his hands inside his pockets.

"Please don't tell anyone," I begged, "Asch would be furious." Jade nodded solemnly.

"His secret is safe with me." I gave him a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Colonel."

"Please, call me Jade."My eyebrow practically raised itself.

"Are you saying you trust me?" I smiled impishly as I said that, something I couldn't avoid.

"I'm saying I trust that you won't betray us, not that I personally like you.'" I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"I guess…That's good enough." I crossed my arm downhearted. Jade chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing," He turned around and crossed his arms behind his back. "If you excuse me, I have to go back inside." I stared at him as he paced away. I bet there should be a picture of Jade if I look for the word 'awesome' in the dictionary. Well, he'd also show up if I look for the words 'vigilant' or 'scary'. He is definitely someone you don't want to mess with.

I didn't know the ring Asch gave me was so important; wouldn't he prefer to keep something that meaningful? Well, I guess he doesn't like remembering his past anyway, he even said Luke wasn't his name anymore. I was about to turn around again, when I saw Tear coming this way. Everyone feels like chitchatting today, don't they? She shook her head and closed her eyes as she approached; a hopeless look on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I tilted my head when her eyes met the floor.

"I had a conversation with Luke…that's all." She mumbled resting her arms on the railing.

"He said something mean to you, didn't he?" I shook my head with indignation, "Wait until I put my hands-"

"Wait! That's not it." I stomped away but she caught my arm quickly. "Actually, I was mean to him…" I raised a brow skeptically, and she continued, "It's not his fault he doesn't know stuff everyone else knows. He forgot how to talk, walk, everything…" He said the kidnap was seven years ago. When Asch was ten, if I'm correct… That bastard!

"Jude, you lost your memory too. But you aren't dependent as he is." She said since I didn't say anything, I was too busy cursing Asch in my head.

"You are right, though that doesn't give him the right to treat people the way he does." I hid my anger as much as I could. "Maybe…" Should I tell her what's going on with me?

"Maybe?" There was expectation in her eyes.

"No, never mind…" She didn't say anything after that. "Did I know you were a Seventh Fonist?" She briefly peered at me and nodded. Her eyes trailed off to the sea, sadness upon them.

"How did you-"

"I still remember stuff like that; I forgot what has to do with me but not with the world. A hyperresonance only occurs when two Seventh Fonists are present." I remarked twisting Asch's ring in my finger. "That makes Luke a Seventh Fonist, right?"

"I suppose..." She answered with poor interest. "Jude…how much do you remember me?"

"I… Just a few memories when we were little." I replied looking way. "I remember how we met in the selenias' garden, how we sneaked to the conference room…"

A chuckled escaped from her throat, "That was fun…" that made me smile.

"Too bad things have changed…" She mumbled. All track of happiness gone in a flash.

"You mean…Van?" She mildly nodded.

"Why did you want to kill me?" The words just came out of my mouth.

She shook her head, "That doesn't matter anymore. I'm no longer thinking about doing that." There was a sharp tone in her voice so I decided not to push things any further.

She asked me about my rapier when she spotted it around my waist. I told her Jade had given it to me since I didn't seem to be a threat anymore. She looked quite happy about that but I knew she was just trying to change the subject.

I wonder what would make someone try to kill their own sibling. It was quite suspicious, why couldn't she tell me?

I excused myself saying I needed to look for something in my room, I didn't know how long would Van be with us and it would be better to try to get some information right now. I had to look around the ship; hopefully I wouldn't bump with Tear again until I could find Van.

Just when I got near the stern, I heard Van's voice. "At the very least, you should be set free from your unfair imprisonment." I tiptoed trying to be as quite as possible. I peeked as I hide behind a cargo box, Luke was next to him.

"You think so?" A hopeful tone in Luke's voice. "You really think so, Master?"

"Don't worry. Have confidence in yourself, you've been chosen." Van remarked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The power of hyperresonance will make you a hero." What is he talking about?

"A hero…me." Luke mused with insecurity." A hero…" I jolted quietly as the siren of the ferry rang through the speakers.

"Looks like we have arrived." Van spoke looking at the coastline. "Here we'll change ships for one headed to Baticul." He peered back and grinned, "Cheer up, Luke. A sullen face isn't becoming of a future hero."

"…Right!" I crouched as both, master and apprentice disappeared through the other side of the boat. I stayed there a couple of seconds trying to figure out what they had been talking about. Luke, a hero? That can't be good.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, this one was a little shorter as you can see! <strong>

***Ahem* I heard your parents said you could have a cookie from the cookie jar if you review. But, well...I'M JUST SAYING, OK?  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Chesedonia's Casanova

**Hey! New chapter! Ok, apparently a lot of people is reading this story (at least, thats what the traffic says). So, I want to thank YOU, yes YOU for making me the happiest person in the world!**

**There is a little surprise in this chapter, so I'm not going to talk anymore!**

**Disclaimer: Tales of the Abyss is not my property!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Chesedonia's Casanova<p>

Someone knocked on my door, "Jude, hurry up, we are leaving now." Tear's muffled voice rang from the other side of the door.

"I'll be there in a second!" I shouted strapping my belt around my hips before combing my soaked hair with my hands. As soon as we arrived to Chesedonia, Van said he would take Arietta to Daath before heading to Baticul. Luke protested but his whining didn't change anything, he wasn't in a good mood because of this, not like he ever has a 'good' mood, anyway. I was really curious about what Van and Luke had been talking about in the boat but it seemed getting information from any of them would be complicated. I would have to wait until we get to Baticul, maybe I could hear something about it in the manor.

Chesedonia was a dry, sandy place with a dense atmosphere, not to mention the heat and the threatening rays of the sun were just unbearable. No wonder why the merchants of this city used thick carpets as roof tops to protect themselves from the sun. The first thing we did was to rush to the inn; we all needed to take a bath urgently, because of the miserable climate and well, I couldn't even remember when was the last time I took a bath…

Aside from that, the Kimlascan consul said a guy called Astor had a fon disc analysis machine. Apparently he was talking about Astor, the leader of the Merchant's Guild. I felt a little uncomfortable since they would probably find out the truth, at least everyone except Jade. Ha! He is really good pretending he doesn't know. I ran down stairs, I was able to catch up with the others in the entrance; they were talking about who-knows-what.

"I'm here, where are we going now?" I asked, closing the inn's front door behind me. Anise jumped forward with a wide smile.

"We'll take a look at the shops before meeting Astor!" she replied, dancing happily in one spot.

"Oooooh! That's perfect!" I chirped. "I'll buy a bag; I really need one to take my stuff."

"What stuff? You don't have anything." Luke observed in his usual self-applauding tone.

"Well, duh! For the stuff I buy here, of course." I countered shamelessly with a glare.

"Oh come on guys," Guy crossed his arms with disapproval "can't you get along?"

Luke turned around with a scowl, "Well, she started!" I shook my head with a sullen face, Jade and Tear shrugged indifferently, I guess they were already used to Luke's behavior.

Anise gave me a suspicious glare and tapped her feet in an unknown rhythm, "Are you trying to take Luke away from me?"

I glanced at her; her question prolonged the sullen expression that was now more than stuck in my face. "Are you serious?" I scoffed. "I would commit suicide before getting anywhere with Luke!" I mean, even Asch is more likeable than him. And having a relationship with Asch was known to be more than a total fail.

Luke abruptly stepped forward, grabbing Mieu, who was resting in his shoulders, and shook him frenetically in an attempt to unleash his rage. "Can't we leave Jude in the desert or something?" The poor cheagle rolled his eyes with dizziness and I crossed my arms and 'pffffed' at his stupid question.

Jade spoke, "If we had to leave someone in the desert, I'm pretty sure it would be _someone_ else." Luke glared at him.

I cupped my cheeks with my hands and beamed, "I would like to marry Jade, though..." Tear covered her face with embarrassment as Guy and Luke shared a dumbfound expression. Meanwhile, Anise and Ion looked amused.

"It looks like it's your lucky day, Jade." Ion giggled good-naturally. Ha! At least I've got Ion's blessing!

"I wouldn't call it luck, Fon Master." Jade sighed pushing up his glasses. Aww, don't try to deny it, Jade! "In any case, we should look around the market for supplies. Our trip to Astor can wait a bit longer."

We nodded and strolled down all the way to the market. The place was crowded with townspeople going from here to there. The many conversations taking place in the market flood our ears; to us it was just noise, senseless mix of sounds, the melody of the people. We replenished our supplies first, you know, food, gels and that stuff. At least, I'd be able to eat while I'm with them. I'd have starved if I were still with Asch or the other God-Generals. Guy and Luke looked interest in finding new weapons while Tear and Jade talked with a few town folks about some new gels.

That left Ion, Anise and me looking at some jewelry stands, some of this accessories were capacity cores. Anise's eyes shimmered with happiness, "Oh, look at this one!" She pointed with a finger at a silver ring with encrusted emerald stones.

"Oh, it's beautiful Anise, don't you think, Jude?" Ion asked with a smile.

"It is." I smiled taking a closer look at the accessory. Anise's smile disappeared as she took out her bag and noticed she had spent all her money buying candies, hair bands and a perfume that she claimed would make Luke fall in love with her.

"Oh, no!" She gasped, disillusion in her tone. "Ion, I need that ring!" Anise shook Ion desperately.

"A-Anise, c-calm down!" Ion stuttered with a nervous laugh.

"Anise let him go!" I tried pulling her away from Ion but her arms were tangled around him. The woman running the store looked at us with amusement. When I finally got to separated them, Anise crossed her arms and pouted. I rolled my eyes and looked at the woman who was expecting something else to happen, "Excuse me Miss, how much for that ring?"

"That would be 230 gald." The woman replied with a smile. I sighed taking the money out, Asch never asked for the pouch of money he gave me at Kaitzur and to be honest I had forgot about it as well.

Anise's frustration vanished as she received the ring, "Thanks Jude!" I could swear I saw a mischievous grin on her face after that. Damn it, did she planned this? Ion promised he would pay for the ring later but I said he didn't have to; he is such a little angel! I had spotted a shop with really nice bags but I quickly forgot about it when I noticed Anise was ripping her hair off with desperation. My eyes followed her gaze, there was a fuchsia haired lady flirting with Luke, Anise ran after them. Ion and I glanced at each other before following her.

"Come on, you have such a pretty face." The lady placed a hand around Luke's shoulder, her body was alarmingly close to his. "Don't ruin it by frowning like that."She added cupping his chin.

"Oh, no…" Anise shook her head in disbelief. "Some old lady is after _my_ Luke." The woman let him go and placed her hands on her waist. By that time, Tear and the rest had approached as well.

I took a closer look at the woman, which made her twitch nervously. "Oh, wow, look at those wrinkles!" That made her twitch again, this time with anger but she keep her composure.

"Oh, pardon me, I didn't mean to interfere." She then looked back to Luke, "Nice fan girls…" That made me scowled. She giggled, "I'll be on my way." walking away but Tear blocked her way.

"Stop."

"Hmmm?"

"…Return what you stole." Tear clarified.

"Huh?" Luke checked his pockets. "Hey! My wallet is gone!"

The woman crossed her arms, "So, you are not all chumps, huh?" My blood started to boil, what a bitch!

"You stole shit. Give it back!" I growled. I heard Jade snort behind me.

"Tactful as always, Jude." Guy, who was behind Jade, coughed into his fist in a failed attempt to mask how amusing, but true, it was.

The woman glanced at me; a vein popped out of her head, "What an annoying girl! York take care of this!" She threw Luke's wallet to a skinny guy with a pirate hat behind us. Ugh, what a creeper. "Urushi, we're outta here!" That's when I noticed the little man with the looks of a clown hiding behind her; his shape resembled a small, fat penguin. They all ran away in different directions, I sprinted after York.

"Hey, come back here, you weirdo!" York pushed the people out of his way as he tried to escape; he was involuntarily clearing my path which made it easier for me to tackle him. York accidently used his face as a brake. I scrambled to my feet and placed my heel on his back.

"Give me that wallet if you don't want me to use you as a punching bag!" I roared. His skinny arm trembled as he offered the wallet back; I snatched it and gave him a dirty look as he ran way.

He had just disappeared around the corner when the three thieves popped out again, this time on top of one of the walls of the city. A grave voice came out York's throat, something I wasn't expecting. "…You've got some guts making enemies of the Dark Wings. You haven't heard the last of us!" He grinned looking at me. Creepy, creepy, creepy…

They hop off the roof and disappeared. Luke grunted with indignation, "They're the Dark Wings? If I'd known that, I'd had cut them to pieces!"

"Yes, after all, you did a great job protecting your wallet." Tear huffed as Luke snatched the wallet from my hand, without even saying 'thank you'.

"Wow Jude, that was wild." Guy chuckled impishly.

"H-hey, s-shut up Guy!" I blushed with embarrassment. Guy scratched his head with a grin.

"By the way, Colonel," Tear spoke this time, a disapproving tone in her voice. "Why did you just stand by and watch as she did that?"

"Oh, no, you got me." He waved his hands in sign of defeat. "It looked like it would be so amusing…" I snorted at his reply.

"…What the?" Luke glared at him, his hands resting in his waist. "You jerk!" Jade ignored him and crossed his arms behind his back.

"We should head to Astor's mansion shouldn't we?" His eyes drifted to Ion and the small Fon Master nodded.

"I'll take you there." Everyone forgot the recent events and paced behind the Fon Master. I looked back at the shop I wanted to go and sighed, well, I could come back when we were done. I looked down at Asch's pouch, this was part of his gald, and I guess I would have to repay him for that ring I had to buy to Anise. Hopefully he wouldn't remember!

I grinned mischievously, yeah, he probably won't remember. Well, that's what he gets for leaving me behind!

I was about to follow the rest of the gang, but I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. My shoulder and part of my chest bumped with _something_. Whatever it was, it was taller than me because part of my cheek brushed on _it_ during the collision.

"Hey, what the-" I looked up. Actually, I was wrong; I didn't bump into _something_ but into _someone_. It was a guy; he had probably Asch's height, messed up chestnut hair caught in a loose pony tail and grey eyes. "Oh, excu-"

"Well, hello my lady…" He grabbed my hand and kissed it. What the fuck? I snatched my hand away. "Haven't I seen you some place before?"

I raised a brow, "Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore."

"Whoa, there is no need to be so aggressive." He smirked, his grey eyes sparked. "I'm Pierce Viants, what's your name?"

I glared at him and stepped aside to keep walking, but he blocked my way. Every. Single. Time. "Hey, get out of the way!"

"Oh, come on; just tell me your name sweetheart." He smiled seductively or at least, I think that's what this idiot was trying to do.

"Hey, look. I need to catch up with my friends, now buzz off!" I stepped aside again and I scowled when I noticed Tears and the others had vanished through the crowd. The many people going around didn't help on my visual search. I looked back at Pierce, "Look, look, what you did, I lost them. I freakin' lost them!"

"Hey, baby, come on, chill." He placed a gloved hand in my shoulder and I brushed it away with a grunt.

"Don't call me baby, sweetheart or whatever you are thinking." I spat venomously.

"Well, if you could tell me your name then-"

"It's Jude. Now, if you excuse me, I have to find my friends." I turned around but he grabbed my arm. I rolled my eyes with frustration as he spun me around.

"Do you at least know where you are going? You don't seem to be from here..."

"I need to get to Astor's mansion, where the hell is that?" I crossed my arms waiting for his reply.

He grinned running a hand through his hair, "I can take you there."

"No, just tell me where it is." I snarled, looking daggers at him.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. I'm not telling you then." He shrugged. I shook my head in disbelief. Oh… I see what's going on, why didn't I notice before? It's just like the Dark Wings!

"Ahhh, so you are one of those thieves that goes flirting around with people to steal their wallets!" I thrust Asch's money inside my pocket.

He raised a brow in confusion and tilted his head "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like an idiot; I won't fall for that trick!" I growled. "You are part of the Dark Wings!"

"What? No, I'm not! I'm a bounty hunter, see?" He pointed the long chromatic axe attached to the harness in his back. "I also have other jobs, not stealing though." My eyes scrolled from his toes to his head. He was wearing a long green coat, a black shirt underneath, grey trousers tucked inside brown leather boots, brown fingerless gloves and a large scarf around his neck.

I looked at him skeptically and he continued, this time with a smirk, "Actually, if I had to steal something from you, I would steal something else…" I stepped back, my eyes widened in horror and he snorted. What the hell is going on with this guy?

"You know what, never mind." I sighed. "I'll look around while I wait for them." I sauntered to the store I wanted to go, I could sense him walking behind me. I got to the stand but there was no one there. I looked around; no one seemed to be the owner.

"Oh, you want to buy something?" Pierce asked looking at the merchandize.

"It's not your business." I said looking at him from the corner of my eye. He laughed.

"You know. That's funny, this is actually my stand." He said walking behind the counter so he could face me.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me…" I covered my face with a hand.

He smiled arrogantly, "So, what are taking, my sweet Jude?" I glared at him before turning my eyes to the merchandize, again. My eyes scanned the table for a few seconds until my eyes met a really nice brown messenger bag, not too big not too small, perfect.

"I'm taking this one." I said taking out Asch's money. "How much for it?" His confident smile vanished and was replaced by a nervous laugh. I raised a brow, "Something wrong?"

"Heh heh, well, you see-" He was abruptly interrupted by an old lady; she came out of nowhere and started whacking him in the head with a rolled newspaper.

"Pierce, get away from my stand. Shoo! Shoo!" I stared at them in bewilderment.

"Ouch, Mrs. Jackson-hey-ouch-listens to me!" Pierce jumped to the other side of the table to get away from the woman that was beating the crap out of him. Now, he was right beside me and I didn't waste the opportunity to kick him in the shin.

He jumped on one foot with a pained expression. "Owww, what the hell was that for?"

"For being an idiot! What the hell were you planning to do?" I growled and yanked his hair, so he would look at me in the eye.

"Owww, planning? I-I just wanted to talk to you a little bit more. I thought you'd take your time to choose-owww-let go!" He whined.

"Oh, excuse me..." We both turned to Mrs. Jackson, who was watching us from her stand. "Where you going to by something, dear?" I let him go with a huff and bought the bag I wanted. Mrs. Jackson smiled and said Pierce was a 'good boy', still and all, he pesters from time to time.

After that, I walked away happily with my new bag. My smile vanished when I heard steps behind me. "See? I told you. I'm not a bad person." He said with a wide smile. "Are you going to ask me out, now?"

"Fine, _get out_ of my sight!" I learned that phrase from Asch.

He bowed his head in a letdown manner "That's not what I meant…"

"Why are you still following me, anyway?" I sulked, losing my patience.

"Well…you smell really nice." He shrugged. Pffff! Maybe I shouldn't have taken that shower today. No, but seriously, this guy is weird; I was expecting any other answer except that one.

"Jude, there you are!" I looked around until I met a really pissed Tear behind me. "Jade and I have been looking for you, where have you been?" Oh, shit! Would Jade stop trusting me? Well, it's not like he did in the first place but still, its Jade!

I opened my mouth but Pierce spoke first, "I'm sorry, that's my fault. I bumped with her and she got lost."

I pointed him with my thumb, "This idiot has been following me ever since. He is a pain in the ass." Pierce pouted.

"Jude, don't be so rude." Tear scolded, and then she looked back to Pierce with a grateful smile. "Thanks for taking care of her."

"Anytime…" He grinned. I stared at him in disbelief and then I looked back at Tear with the same expression, but apparently I had been the only one that picked up the retorted meaning in his response.

Tear didn't wait any longer and dragged me away; I had to run to keep up with her. She took me to a larger mansion decorated with tropical plants and a spectacular waterfall. The structure of the building was complex and beautiful with large stairs and a beautiful view of the desert; this must be Astor's mansion!

We found Jade waiting for us in the entrance, "Ah, there you are." He didn't look mad, I'd say he looked rather surprised more than anything else. I opened my mouth but he spoke first, a dark smile drew on his face, which almost killed me. Jade can be terrifying sometimes. "You'll have plenty of time to explain what happened once we are inside." Jade opened the door for us and we both walked in. I followed Tear through the hall and I could feel Jade's crimson eyes burning my back again.

Tear took the next hall and stopped in front of one of Astor's servants; he opened the door for us. At the other side of the door, we found Guy, Luke, Anise, Ion and Mieu sitting in the couches of the most luxurious room I had ever seen. I suppose Luke's manor could match it but since I can't remember a thing about that place…

They had been engrossed in a conversation with a short man until we came in. I supposed he was Astor; the small man had a large round nose, a pointy moustache and bagged trousers. After a brief introduction, everyone seemed to be curious about what had happened to me, so I explained the little incident with Pierce and how he glued to me like a leech.

Then, Astor said he knew who Pierce was; he said he sometimes hires him as protector whenever the guild needs to transport merchandize from town to town. I was glad he knew him, otherwise my disappearance would have caused suspicions.

I was relieved when the subject of our conversation was switched to how the Merchant's Guild contributed large amount of money to Daath and how that made Chesedonia an autonomous state. That would be the only thing I could thank Luke for, of course, he wasn't aware he had saved me.

One of Astor's servants came in and gave Guy the results of the fon disc. Now that I think about it, why didn't they ask me if I knew what the disc contained? Huh, do I really look that ignorant? Ok, maybe not the word 'ignorant', perhaps the right word is 'harmless'. It's not suppose to be this way, a soldier shouldn't look 'harmless'.

Anyway, Guy received the thin booklets with information and the disc; it was quite a lot of pages for only one disc. After that, we excused us since the boat that would take us to Baticul could be ready now. Astor said he would help us if we needed assistance again and that we shouldn't hesitate to let him know. We walked out of the mansion, and head for the port. We all stopped when Anise, who looked like a monkey almost wrapping her legs around Luke's arm, stared at an alleyway with curiosity.

Luke was the first one to ask, "What's the matter, Anise?" Luke followed her gaze and copied her expression. We all followed their gazes since neither Anise nor Luke said anything. Everyone stayed quiet for a bit, I think we were all trying to figure out what _he_ was.

"Ok, its official, everyone in this place is crazy." I crossed my arms looking at the man wearing the strangest costume ever; he was standing in the middle of the alleyway. Someone had dug a sand hole behind him. I don't know what was more disturbing, his costume or the way he moved. Ion was the first one to snapped out, he approached the man and we followed him.

"What's with this guy?" Luke scoffed giving the strange man an evaluative look.

"Me, Ant Lion Man!" The man answered.

"Ant Lion Man?" Guy looked back at us seeking for an answer but we all shrugged, except Anise.

"Oh, I have heard of those. It's a magical creature from 'Fairy Tales of Auldrant'." Anise puffed her chest proudly.

"Uhhh, I love that type of stories." I said looking back at the 'Ant Lion Man' like expecting him to do a magic trick.

"But if it's just a story then why…" Tear didn't finish her sentence; instead, everyone else looked back at the man with confusion. After another brief moment of silence, Jade spoke.

"Oh, well doesn't it matter?" His shoulders rose without taking his hands out of his pockets, "The person inside the costume seems to be enjoying playing the role."

"Me, Ant Lion Man." The man pointed himself with a thumb before pointing at me, "You give me apple gel!"

"What?" I gave him a skeptical look.

"Huh?" Luke looked at me with a blank look.

"Me give you good thing in return." The Ant Lion Man replied happily. Jade, who was behind me, gave me an apple gel and I gave it to the strange man. He threw it to the sand hole. We stared in shock, except Jade of course.

"What the fuck? Don't you know those things are expensive?" I grunted, but the man ignored me picking it up and swallowing it. Our eyes widened, ok, they are expensive but he didn't have to eat it!

"This be good thing in return." The man muttered looking at the sand hole. Luke, Guy and I stepped back when something started to come out from the hole.

I was perplexed when Pierce came out of the hole, gasping for air. "Yulia! It hard to breath down there!"

"Y-You! What are you doing here?" He looked at me rather surprised.

"Oh, hi!" He beamed, jumping to his feet.

"Ah, so this is Pierce." Jade smirked. "What a remarkable present for Jude, just like the Ant Lion Man said." I glowered at Necromancer. Pierce smirked confidently, brushing off the sand out of his clothes. We all looked at him expectantly but the Ant Lion Man spoke first.

"Give, damn recipe." He growled at Pierce.

"Oh, right." Pierce rubbed his neck with embarrassment and took out a piece of paper out of his pocket. He gave it to me and I blinked a couple of times looking at the paper, I felt everyone's gaze behind me.

"Fried chicken…recipe." I muttered.

"Hey, it really is something good!" Anise beamed. "Oh, oh I'll try it!"

Ion stepped forward and tilted his head, "Excuse me, Pierce, right?" Pierce's eyes widened when his eyes met the small Fon Master, he nodded. "What were you doing down there?"

"Oh, I was helping this guy with the game, Fon Master. To be honest, it's the first time I do this." Pierce scowled looking at the Ant Lion Man, "And it will be the last time…"

"What an interesting love triangle…" Guy snickered looking back at Jade. Pierce raised a brow; I don't think he had any clue about what was going on.

Surprisingly, Jade chuckled this time and smiled evilly at my direction, "Oh, you have no idea…" Everyone stared at him in disarray, even me. He can't possibly be talking about… "Well, I think it's time me go, don't you think?"

We nodded and waved goodbye at the Ant Lion Man and Pierce. Pierce caught up with us and gave me a bag full with different type of gels.

"Huh? Why are you giving me this?" I asked giving him a suspicious look.

"Well, I thought you might need those so I bought them for you…" A wide smile on his face as he placed his fists on his waist.

"No, really…" I gave him a deadpan look and he heaved a sigh.

"Ok, I didn't buy them. Sometimes the Ant Lion Man just throws them in the sand hole, I caught them and since they were a lot, I'm giving some to you."

"That's better." I snorted placing the bag in my new messenger bag.

"Are you going to kiss me, now?"

"Bye, Pierce." I barked walking away. I paced quickly so I could catch up with the others, who had started snickering when they heard Pierce's question. "Shut up, guys!"

We were just a few meters away from the port, when a Kimlascan soldier appeared and announced the ship was ready, he bowed and walked away. We were on our way when Tear's cry made us jolt.

"Look out!" Despite Tear's warning, Sync was still too fast. There was not even time to prevent him from attacking Guy, which made him drop the fon disc's documents. Sync was able to catch the fon disc when it flew through the air. Guy quickly crawled over the rest of the documents before Sync could reach them.

"Hand those over!" Sync approached, but Guy jumped away from him, documents in hand. I drew out my rapier.

"I'll kick your ass this time, you poor excuse of a woodpecker!" I roared. Sync grunted, taking his fighting stance.

"We shouldn't cause a scene here." Jade interrupted. "To the ship!"

They all ran away and Luke pulled my hand since I was too engrossed glaring at Sync. "Damn it, Jude!" He pulled harder and I looked back as we ran. "They just don't give up!"

Mieu had clenched his tiny claws on Luke's coat, from one of the tails to be exact, to keep up with us.

"You're not getting away!" Sync spluttered running behind us. We ran down the large stone stairs, taking three at a time.

Luke tugged more, despite I couldn't see Sync anymore, "Ahhhh, Luke be careful! I want to keep my teeth were they are!"

"There is no time, run!" He barked. He obviously didn't want anything to do with the people that kidnapped him in the castle.

"Hell, I'm running!" I growled back. We kept yelling at each other all the way down, running out of insults as well. We could see the ship now, it wasn't that far. The Kimlascan soldier spotted us from the distance.

"Master Luke, departure preparations are complete." The soldier said taking a firm posture.

"Get this ship moving, now!"

"Excuse me?" I rolled my eyes.

"Fucking chased, we are being fucking chased!" I yelled waving an arm in the air, I would have waved my other hand as well but Luke was crushing my hand under his grip. Luke and me, jumped to the boat followed by the scared soldier. Well, I didn't jump, Luke practically threw me inside. I landed on my stomach and Mieu, whose claws had finally gave in, let go from Luke's coat and ended landing over my head.

I groaned as I _tried_ to push myself up, but an unbearable weight and pain struck on my back prevented me from doing anything. My limbs twitched in pain as Luke proceeded to use me as a carpet, placing a foot on my back to hop to the other side; he looked at me apathetically, completely ignoring his recent abusive action. He crouched glancing at me with his you-are-inferior face, I could only huff and stare at him balefully.

"You, ok?" He asked, poking my cheek with a finger, a bored expression on his face. I couldn't hold any longer and grabbed him from his hair, "Owwww, l-let go you crazy bitch!" Miue flew away, scared.

"Bitch?" I snarled. I scrambled to my feet without letting him go. "Listen to me, you blue blooded idiot! You can't go around treating people like they owe you something, ok?" As I said this, I dragged him all the way to the bow of the ship, were everyone was. Guy gave me a women-are-scary look; the rest either looked worried or had a smile on the face, obviously, only Jade was smiling. He really seems to dislike this royal idiot.

"G-Guy, do something!" Luke whined with a pained expression, walking beside me. His upper body, inclined towards me, otherwise I would have ended ripping off his hair.

A choking sound came from Guy's throat and he waved his arms in surrender when I glared at him, "L-Luke, I think you are asking the wrong person." It seemed like no one would do anything, I guess it was because I still had my rapier on my hand. My anger quickly vanished when I saw my reflection on it, Luke jumped away when my grip loosened. I turned away from them in an attempt to hid my, again, yellowish eye.

When did it change again? I wasn't sure, but this was definitely not normal.

Reality hit me with a brick at that moment, how come I didn't notice? I cursed myself for having such a stupid sidetracked mind. The unnatural yellowish eye, the strange reactions of my body, the bleeding …they were all related. Sync's words swirled inside my head: _"I suppose you heard that conversation just now…I have heard you are even more screwed than this idiot, whatever they did to you… it's working."_

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Port Belkend…<p>

Asch rubbed his temples, his teeth bared as he did. He was about to get a headache, a strong one. He walked from side to side thoughtfully, his boots clapping in the metallic flooring of the bridge. Frustration building inside him, he knew, he repeated to himself, he knew leaving Jude was the stupidest thing he had ever done and Sync's letter was the only evidence he needed to know he had been plain stupid. Though he knew part of it was his fault, he couldn't stop cursing the day Jude reappeared out of nowhere and screwed up all his plans.

His eyes scanned the sheet of paper again, just to make sure he had completely understood while all those baleful emotions had accumulated inside him. The letter had been delivered to him by an oracle knight in Belkend a few hours ago, a simple white envelope with no heading. Sync's letter couldn't be classified as one in the first place, no salute, complementary close or signature; it was more like a note, a reminder. Years as an oracle knight and two years as God-General had taught him, Sync and Legretta were no retailers, not that he cared anyway, he had simply learned to identify their handwriting. He had even followed their example whenever he had to report something.

_You could say the mission was successful; the replica's fon slots are now open. You might also want to know Jude betrayed us in the process, nice friend you've got there. She is with the replica and his friends now, heading to Chesedonia. They probably won't be there once you get this letter. I'll need your help if we want to capture Ion next time, what are you going to do?_

"…am I going to do?" Asch mumbled to himself, his eyes drifted to the ocean. Now he was debating whether to go to Daath and look for information about Jude or go to Chesedonia and help Sync. Dist was still with him wasn't he? Well, he knew working with Dist meant using ear plugs whenever he started ranting; it was something all the God-Generals would do, something Dist didn't know. The word _need _in the letter meant Sync had either lost his ear plugs or Dist's voice had already drilled a hole into his head.

Asch huffed with exasperation, how could Jude screw up in so many levels? Still, he wasn't sure if Sync was actually telling him the truth about Jude 'betraying' them. He had also learned through these years that being a God-General meant having a lot of power, enough to twist the truth as much as they wanted without being questioned. He knew this because he had used his own power to his advantage as well; whenever he wanted to investigate something related to the other God-Generals or the priests, he would ask one of his soldiers to do it for him. That's how he had learned some of the darkest secrets of the Order of Lorelei, who would have known the Order was that rotten?

If they have had more time when Jude reappeared, he would have investigated about her as well. Though it wasn't her sudden display what had intrigued him or the fact that she had been a soldier all this time and that she had been closer to him, more than he had ever imagined. It was actually that yellowish tone in her left eye that had made him started questioning about Jude's accident. Her eyes were blue. That's the first thought that came to his head when he saw her eyes for the first time in years.

Now that she was with his replica and the other bunch of idiots, he started to wonder if telling her the truth would have avoided this situation. Asch shook off those thoughts from his mind. No, there was no need for her to know, he was absolutely sure, he didn't want her to remember they had been friends.

Why? Well, for having such a foolish pride, of course. He would never admit that he had _once_ needed her by his side. When he had abandoned the idea of returning to the manor and became Van's servant, he knew she was the only one that had not been stolen from him, the only friend that stupid replica wouldn't snatch away from him. It was ironic; he had been hoping she would return to the manor someday before he was kidnapped. After that, Asch wished she could stay away from that idiotic place he used to call home.

Van would use _her _as an incentive, he promised many times he would take her to him if he did exactly what he wanted. Or would use her as punishment, saying he would take Jude to the manor if he disobeyed. Asch would ask about his friend and her whereabouts but Van would never answer. The young knight stopped caring as years passed; realizing his master had been lying about taking the girl to him all this time. Van, satisfied that the teenager had at last, forsaken those foolish thoughts about _friends_, would say, 'Good times never last forever. You have enough good memories, count your blessings.'

Despite the fact Asch had baleful thoughts towards Van for what he had done, he still admired him and didn't care about being just a tool. I mean, after losing his home, family, friends and fiancée…what else could he be? His hate had been redirected to his father and uncle; they knew what would happen to him in Akzeriuth and still had planned on sending him to his death. How would his fragile mother take that if she knew?

They made him break his back training, studying and preparing himself to be the perfect king so he could go and die in such ridiculous and absurd way? Who did they think they were? No, who did Yulia thought she was to write his damn future, dooming him even before he was born. That's how his hate towards the Score had bloomed.

Asch suppressed his feeling before his headache could get any worst. "Damn it; concentrate Asch, what are you going to do?" He hissed, his hands balled into fists. Even if he denied it, which he would if someone asked him, he cared about Jude. Yulia had thrown her to his arms when he had finally forgotten about her, but he had to admit her company was not as…pestering… as he thought it would be. But, could it be true that she betrayed him? She did look mad when he told her she would have to stay with Sync and Dist, but from that to stabbing him in the back, would she do it?

Either way, she had managed to mess up his mind with old memories, mess up his decisions, mess up his plans on to deciphering what Van was plotting and she had messed up his…his… Pffff, ridiculous, it was true that he cared about her…_ feelings_. That's why he decided not to tell Jude about Van's plan of replicating the whole world. But from that to… _that_, it was absolutely impossible, Asch sighed as he finally reached a decision, his eyes gleamed with determination. After all, if Jude had betrayed him, she would have to pay.

* * *

><p><strong>AWWW new character FTW!<strong>

**Important:**** Pierce outfit is similar to Hugh's outfit (from Fire Emblems), I did a few changes though. That's just his outfit...he looks like...mmmmmm...Oh, Felix (from Golden Sun, I love Golden Sun).**

**Hahaha, I couldn't stop hearing the song "It's seductive and whispers" from the TOV soundtrack while writing Pierce's part, ahhhh I guess that's his theme song! (Y)**


	8. Chapter 8: Under Attack

***HappyStab getting beat up by Asch in the background* **

**Jude: Hello! HappyStab is busy right now as you can see! ... *cough* *cough* She deserves it *cough* *cough* Anyway! She wants to thank Black Bunny, Adel and Emberstar for reviewing in the last chapter. And YES as you might have notice Felix is HappyStab's fav. character from Golden Sun, she loves him a lot!**

**You might also be wondering why Asch is giving our dear author a**_** piece**_** of his mind. Well, you'll get to know in this chapter! ;D**

**HappyStab: Felix, please help me! **

**Asch: Shut up, you worthless piece of *CENSORED*! *Pierce, hiding in a corner***

**Jude: Well, so...yeah, that's it... Oh, right, disclaimers!**

**Disclaimer: Happystab doesn't not own TOA, otherwise she would get beat up by Asch more often!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Under Attack<p>

I quickly sheathed my rapier when I heard footsteps behind me; it felt like I had spaced out for an eternity now. I pulled my hair on my face with my fingers in a hastily manner and I heard Guy's voice call out, "Jude, we are about to read the results from the fon disc. Everyone is inside now, let's go." I turned around after taking a good, deep breath to regain my composure. It was better to keep my eye a secret, less troubles for them and for me.

"O~kay!" I tuned happily, a minor effect to my discomfort. Guy tilted his head with an inquiring look on his face; he seemed a little surprised. His hand rose pointing at me affectedly. And I forced a smile to suppress a will-less titter that had risen from my throat, another naughty effect.

"You…look like…" Guy blinked warily. He was actually pointing at the blue locks of hair covering my left eye, Tear style for the win.

My smile widened and he gave up, "Uh, never mind, let's go." Whew, that was close! But I was sure everyone else would ask about it too, I had to control my emotions. It seemed lying was something that was harder for people like me. And that was really inconvenient for my situation.

I followed Guy to the room where the others had gathered, I took another long, deep breath before walking in. But my effort to keep myself controlled failed miserably when all their eyes locked on me. I found myself biting my bottom lip and _trying_ to keep a straight face but the corners of my lips would curve upward instead.

"Jude?" Tear looked at me expectantly. "Why is your hair…?" She didn't finish her question; instead she gave me a quizzical look. Anise, Mieu and Ion leaned forward with curiosity. Luke faked indifference and Jade held an evaluative look on me.

"W-Well, I love your style Tear." I said taking a triumphant posture while Guy picked up the disc's report from the room's table, "So, why don't give it a go?" There was a brief silence but Mieu broke it after flying to my direction, the sorcerers' ring gleaming around his belly.

"Jude is weird!" The cheagle beamed in his distinguished high-pitched tone. I caught Luke nodding with a sulk from the corner of my eye and I forced another smile towards Mieu, regardless that I_ might_ have wanted to kick his ass instead. Don't get me wrong, he is cute and I hate how Luke manhandles him, but did he honestly have to say that?

Jade pushed his glasses up, an intense and terrifying look on his face. I avoided his eyes and rested my back on the wall; right behind Ion. Everyone followed Jade with their gazes as he stood up from his chair and approached to me. It caught us off guard when he got closer and closer... He rested the palms of his hands right on the wall, and I was in-between. Everyone stared at him perplexed, I would have been eager to wrap my arms around his neck but he had _that_ scary look on his face. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Ja-Ja-Ja-Ja-Ja-Jade?" Was the only thing I managed to say, I felt like a sheep that was about to be eaten by a wolf. His gaze was locked on my face and I swear there was so much intensity in those crimson eyes that they could have melt matter easily. Everyone waited quietly, trying to predict his next move, which in my opinion is impossible; we are talking about Jade here!

All of us gasped as one of his hands touched the side of my face. Even Guy dropped the report to the floor in astonishment. Oh Lorelei, help me! My legs were shaking and my heart was beating so fast, I started to feel tired. I felt like I had ran around Daath's Cathedral a hundred times.

He brushed away the locks screening my left eye and asked casually, "Did it turned yellow, again?" My face went pale. How did he…? Oh, crap, it was back at the Tartarus, wasn't it? Damn it!

"Co-Colonel?" Tear approached us and everyone else did the same. So now, everyone had surrounded me and I was still pinned on the wall. I heard lots of 'ohhs' and 'ahhhs' as they all took a look at my yellowish eye. "So I wasn't imagining it, after all…" Tear mumbled.

"Jude, dear. Care to explain us this phenomenon?" Jade asked with a smirk. Did he…did he just took advantage of me? What a beast! A sexy beast!

"To be honest, I-I don't know." I gasped, still uncomfortable because they were all invading my personal space. Well, except Guy, of course, he was behind Jade. "It turns yellow from time to time…and…and even causes weird reactions in my body…"

"What do you mean?" Anise tapped a finger on her bottom lip.

"Well, I think…I'm not sure. My eye bleed once, and in other occasion I suffered from paralysis. It stings sometimes, these things happen when I'm about to…" I bowed my head thoughtfully.

"To?" Luke asked impatiently, not wearing the indifferent mask anymore.

"When I'm about to remember something." I replied.

"What can that be?" Tear glanced at Jade, concern in her voice. To our surprise he shrugged, everyone seemed to be spacing out in their own thoughts after that.

"Could you guys give me some space?" Ion and Jade where the first ones to get the message. The others moved away after them, with embarrassment. That's when my legs gave up and I slid down my back on the wall, until reaching the floor and plopping down, I covered my face with my hands.

"You are terrible!" My voice was muffled by the palms of my hands. "You just traumatized me for life!" I heard Jade snicker.

"Yeah, for one second, I thought Jade was going to…" Luke didn't finish his sentence; and I could picture him shaking his head trying to get something off his mind.

"Oh, did I _startled_ you?" There was a mocking tone in Jade's voice, I uncovered my face and glared at him.

"You can be hateable sometimes, you know?" Luke nodded absently at my remark.

"That's true." Tear said closing her eyes while Anise giggled, climbing to her seat.

Guy rubbed the back of his head and picked up the report, "Jade really knows how to get everyone's attention." Ion and the rest of us heaved a sigh.

Since we still didn't have an explanation to what was happening to my eye, Jade said we could discuss about it later. I relaxed when they started talking about the report; Guy had lost part of the documents when Sync attacked. I really didn't pay that much attention to what they were saying, I barely heard some parts of the conversation; Lorelei's fonon frequency was in the report. Jade explained to Luke how Lorelei's existence was just hypothetical. Then they talked about the Seven Fonons and how they became sentient. Mieu had jumped to my lap and was now resting there while I scratched his ear, absentmindedly.

He had started to fall asleep and it reminded me of Asch when I was taking the leaves off his hair. My lips curved into a smile; being honest, I missed him, just a little. Maybe it was just nostalgia? I really don't know. I wish I could actually remember something about going to Duke Fabre's manor. Huh, maybe Asch never told me he knew me because he never liked me. I can actually picture that, mini Asch and mini me fighting for whatever the reason could be. After all, from what I had remembered, I was a pestering little girl.

I casually took out Asch's ring from my pocket; I had decided to take it off since Luke and Guy could recognize it. I still had to ask Guy how much time he'd been Luke's servant; it was already annoying that I couldn't use the capacity core Asch gave me. I came back to reality, when Anise commented about Tear being nicer to Luke; I shove the ring inside my pocket and teased her a little along with Guy. Tear growled, telling Guy and me to shut up so she could finish explaining. Awww, did Luke just blush right there?

Another train of thoughts came after that. Do an original and its replica have the same tendencies and likings? I mean, would they fall in love with the same person? Or would they do the same things at the same time? How connected can they actually be? Well, now that I had spent some time with both Luke and Asch I could see they were not even totally alike physically. Luke's eyes were emerald while Asch's eyes had a deeper tone, their hair had different tones too, but I knew that already. Their voices were the same, but the way they spoke and their gestures were completely different as well.

"Of course, if isofons were common, we'd have our hands full with hyperresonances all over the place." Jade's words made me snap out and I didn't miss Luke's shocked expression. Didn't I heard Van say something about hyperresonance before getting to Chesedonia?

Jade continued, "Isofon research holds potential for weapons development, so the military has their eye on it."

"That fomicry technology they worked on a long time ago can make isofons, right?" Anise swung her feet in the air. Her question wasn't answered, Jade and Ion held thoughtful looks on their faces.

"Yeah, fomicry is like a copy machine, right?" Guy added, hoping Jade would say something, which he did.

"No, replicas created through fomicry are mere imitations." Jade crossed his arms regardfuly and looked at me, "A replica may look identical, but its fonons frequency is different. One can't produce isofons that way." I nodded as he said it; I supposed he thought I would have my own questions about that.

"Gah!" Luke messed up his hair (even more) as he crinkled it with desperation. "What the hell are you all talking about? Enough of this complicated stuff. Jade can read those documents on his-"

A loud cracking sound and the violent throbs of the floor interrupted him; it almost manages to throw Tear and Guy off balance and Mieu, who had fallen asleep, woke abruptly; I grabbed him and jumped to my feet, "What the fuck was that?"

Before anyone could give me an answer, the door flew open and a soldier rush in, "Emergency! A large number of monsters and an unidentified fontech signature approaching from Chesedonia!" The floor shook again, this time an explosion was heard from outside and a group of Oracle Knights rush in, killing the Kimlascan soldier in front of our eyes.

I immediately whipped out my rapier, "Saying 'We are fucked.' would have been enough."

Guy and Luke took out their swords as Jade, Tear and Anise rushed to their positions to protect Ion. Tokunaga, Anise's doll, grew until it threw away the table. They were about seven or six Oracle Knights, I wasn't sure because the guy that was swinging his sword at me was more important now.

I dodged his attacks while trying to form a god damn Field of Fonons with an arte but the fonons would scatter whenever the damn tip of his sword was too close to my face. I tried again, pulling the fonons into my body, the sensation of fresh water droplets sloshing on my skin meant the fonons were gathering again. I gave up on that, when another swung of his blade made me lose concentration again. I blocked his next attack with my blade; I managed to leave him unprotected for a few seconds when my sword pushed his blade away. I was about to pierce him through the side but his armored elbow connected with my cheek.

My face leaped to the side from the impact. I was able to avoid falling with a not so perfect cart wheel, the blow had left me a little bit dizzy and I ended up landing crouched, my cheek felt numb and I had got an instant headache. The knight rushed towards me, he jumped and swung his sword downward, I was able to jump away from his attack just in time. The tails of his tabard fluttered towards me with the movement; I dashed and grabbed it to pull him closer.

"Fang Blade!" The blade of my sword shined with a blue flash, the only god damn arte I had mastered. I'll have to ask Luke or Guy to show me new tricks…ok, probably just Guy. Anyway, the impact of my arte slammed the knight into the wall and I jumped happily when I noticed the white circle that had formed upon my feet. "Wooohooo!"

"Jude, watch out!" That was Tear's voice. In the exact moment I turned my head, my eyes locked on the blade that was inches away from my throat and coming this way, I threw my back to the floor to avoid the unexpected attack. I grunted when my back slammed on the wooden floor; it was then that I noticed I was far from everybody else.

"Jude!" Guy's voice rang from somewhere in the room. My eyes widened when I was able to see a dark smile in the knight's face. He was holding his sword with both hands and above his head, the tip of his sword pointing down at me. I was stunned, everything started to slow down and I could hear _them _yelling, something between the lines of 'Jude, idiot do something!' and 'Snap out of it!' The first call was obviously from Luke and I had started wondering if I could go through a battle without getting in this type of situations.

Then, the knight opened his mouth and mumbled softly, for anybody else to hear, "Who would have thought I would get to kill Asch's bitch." My anger boiled so quickly you could say I reached –Overlimit-. I arched my back and arms to roll back, one of my legs clashed on his helmet and I heard something crack. It must have been his jaw because when I finished the private circus show and was back on my feet, his helmet had a large dent in that area, blood dripping out from inside. As unceremonious as my last move, I rushed toward him and wrapped my arm around his neck before pulling him down; leaving him in what had been my position a few seconds ago.

"Say that again!" Before he could even realize what had happened, I pierced his chest just the same way he would have. I stood there gasping and looking at the dead body. For some reason his words had bugged me more that they should have and that's what I was trying to figure out. Anise was the first one to get to me; I looked around to see the other Oracle Knights had been _defeated_ as well. Luke commented about how 'bloody' I was, and I had a nice inside joke about that… not entirely nice though, because it had to do with Asch.

When Tear had finally make sure I was in one piece, it didn't took us long to realize they were trying to take over the ship and that we needed to secure the bridge before them. Why is the Order trying to start a war so badly?

Without any more delays, we got out of the room and found more Oracle Knights on the way. We made sure that Anise, Tear or Jade didn't have to fight, the halls were not so big and we could end up crushed by Tokunaga or harmed with a spell. That meant it was up to Guy, Luke and me, at least they were not so many, so it didn't took us long. What that knight had said was still lingering in my mind, which made me kill whatever stood three feet away from me.

"Ahhh, Jude, are you ok?" Guy asked as I stabbed, stabbed, stabbed and stabbed.

"Yeah, seriously, why don't you chill a bit?" Luke suggested with a horrified look, he still didn't felt comfortable with seeing people get killed. I gave him a stern look and snarled.

"I'm fine, I'm not chilling because I'm not his bitch, ok?" They nodded with frightened expressions, even though they didn't have a clue about what was I talking about. Tear and the other were still back making sure Ion had enough protection, far enough to hear our conversation. When we finally finished _cleaning up_ the halls, we gestured the others to come along. We had finally reached the boat's deck when we heard a soft thump.

"Give back that fonstone!" We turned to see a man lying on his stomach, a few meters away was a small robot holding a green crystal. From the man's outfit, I could tell he was a member of the ship's crew. In the other hand, the design of the robot looked quite familiar; I got to see a bunch of junk like that when I was in the Oracle Ship, which meant Dist could be near.

"No!" An artificial, but squeaky voice rang from the robot, "We're going to use it in an experiment!" The small machine turned around and ran away, in direction to the ship's bow. I grabbed the sailor by his arm to help him stand up.

"What's going on?" Luke pouted looking at the man; I think he could sense we would get involved in this too.

"That weird robot stole the fonstone fragment!" The sailor groaned, brushing off the dust from his trousers.

"Fonstone fragment? Does it want it for fontech work?" Guy crossed his arms glancing at Jade.

"Most likely." Jade spoke, he sounded slightly annoyed, "And considering the tacky design of the robot, I have the feeling I know who is behind this…" I raised a brow at his statement, Jade knows Dist?

"You do, Colonel?" Tear asked before I could, it sounds weird when she calls him like that, you know, having such a beautiful name.

"I think so." Jade raised his arms and shrugged. "At any rate, fonstone fragments are a valuable resource. Let's get it back." Just like Luke and I had predicted, we would have to get that fonstone back. We ran after the stupid robot, which claimed to be the 'Great Barrelow X' whenever Luke called him 'junk'. The boat started shaking and we lost our balance when we were really close to catching him. We were all trying, except Ion and Jade, Jade said he was too old for that, ha! Old, my ass!

Anyway, I was able to pick myself up, when a griffin landed a few meters away from us. We had no other option but to fight it since he was blocking our way. I drew out my rapier, we had barely made some damage to it when another griffin attacked, this one managed to make Anise fall from Tokunaga. Jade who was behind us started to take care of the new enemy with the help of Anise and Guy. That left Tear, Luke and me with the one blocking our way.

The griffin stood in its rear claws and fluttered its wings frenetically, creating strong wing currents that almost knock us off the boat. Tear was pressing her body against the railing, trying to cast 'First Aid' because Luke had slammed onto the floor pretty badly while I had been lucky enough to hang on to a cargo box. The boat was swinging from left to right, which was not helping us at all.

Luke was able to stand up again with the help of Tear's healing arte, having one of those would be efficient. The griffin kept swinging its wings and it was impossible to get closer to it.

"We need to distract that thing!" I shouted back to the others, as those words came out of my mouth, an idea clicked on my brain. "Luke, use Mieu!"

"Yeah, that could help!" Tear glanced up at Luke, still holding tight to the railing.

"Ok!" He grabbed Mieu, who was attached to his shoulder. Of course, when I told him to use Mieu I meant to throw fire at the beast as a distraction, so we could attack the creature by surprise. I facepalmed, when Luke threw Mieu to the griffin's head and knocked him in the forehead, as stupid as it sounds that made the monster stop and Luke and I took that opportunity to attack, with a few thrusts of our swords the creature fell dead on its side. Luckily, Mieu wasn't hurt during the 'attack' and Tear and I rolled eyes as Luke said something about using Mieu as a secondary weapon.

Jade and the other were done with the other creature as well, so we kept searching for the damn robot. It didn't took us long to find him and snatch the fonstone away, Barrelrow X threatened to come back before accidently committing suicide, jumping into the sea. There was no doubt that was one of Dist's inventions.

We finally returned the fonstone to the sailor and went back to searching for the culprit. To be honest I have nothing against Dist, different from Sync, but I knew I'd get really annoyed if I had to see him; he causes that reffect on me and its seemed I wasn't the only one. That would explain why Jade looked annoyed when he mentioned knowing who the culprit was.

"…Where the heck is their leader? Let's hurry up and finish this." There goes Luke, whining as usual. That's when that hideous, stupid, creepy, annoying, disturbing laugh rang and I immediately knew who it was. We all looked up to find Dist flying in his chair, above our heads.

"Listen you ignorant savages and you shall hear my beautiful name~." I gave him a dead pan look. "I'm the most graceful of the Six God-Generals, the one and only, Dist the-"

"Why, if isn't Dist the Runny!" Jade grinned.

"The Rose! R-O-S-E, rose! Dist the Rose!"

"You mean, Dist the Reaper." Anise corrected.

I snapped, "More like, Dist the Ranter!"

"Silence, you traitor! And its rose! ROSE!" He almost falls of his chair as he swung his arms in a tantrum. Luke, Guy and Tear were the only ones to look surprised by the grown man's actions.

"Traitor?" I hissed. "What the hell are you talking about? I never was in _your_ side in the first place!" My hands balled into fists, I really can't stand this guy.

Dist smirked and a soft, but still disturbing, laugh escaped from his throat. "Oh, we all knew that… Being _his_ toy must have been tough, you know, as demanding as _he_ is." I frowned in confusion, and he added, "Or at least, that's what the rumors say…" In that moment, the knight's words echoed in my head again, 'Who would have thought I would get to kill Asch's bitch.' I could feel everyone glancing at me; they were probably trying to figure out what this was about.

"WHAT?" Anise jolted with my sudden outburst, every bone in my body was shaking with rage. "You, effeminate piece of-" Dist's face contorted with fury.

"You guys know him?" Luke interrupted, unaware of the dark aura coming from me. And that I might have kicked his ass if fighting Dist wasn't necessary.

"Jude and I were in the Oracle Knights, too, so…" Anise stopped and looked back at Jade with curiosity, "But why do you know him, Colonel?"

But Dist spoke first, since he likes to be the center of attention. "I, the genius Dist, once counted that duplicitous snake Jade amongst my friends."

"Which Jade is that? I don't know any Jade with such poor taste on friends." Jade countered almost instantly, as if he knew he would say that.

"What did you say?" Dist menaced with a fist.

"Ah, ah, careful now, you know how your nose runs when you get mad." I would have laughed at Jade's remark if I wasn't piss. So, there was a rumor in the Oracle Knights that I…Asch…we…us… Who the hell said such stupid lie?

"Grrrrr! No it doesn't!" Dist snarled, "Enough of this. Now, hand over the fon disc data!" I could hear Guy and Luke behind me, mumbling something.

"You mean this?" Jade took out the report and showed it, just beside his head. Dist was quick and snatched it away with a single 'whoosh' of his chair.

"Hah hah hah! How careless, Jade." Dist laughed, pointing him a finger.

Jade smiled mockingly, throwing his arms behind his back, "You can have them. I already memorized their content." More like, 'I already know anyway'.

Dist looked surprise by half a second, and then his face turned red with anger. "Grrrrr! I'm been mocked by savages!" The sound of something cutting through the air reached our ears. I looked up, above in the sky was a tiny particle that gleamed in the distance. My eyes grew wide as the _tiny particle_ started to grow, in other words, to descend rapidly. I heard movement around me, the other had figured out what was going on as well. My eyes trailed off to Luke in seconds, he was still looking at _it_. That shit was going to-

OH, CRAP! I pulled him by the sleeve of his coat just in time, the golem-sized robot landed in the same spot Luke had been a few seconds ago. The wooden floor cracked loudly and the impact made me fall on my back, I brought Luke down with me, though he landed on his face, right beside me.

"When you taste the pain of my super ultra gorgeous artes, you'll regret what you've done!" I knew it! I knew things would end up like this. I waved a hand to the other to let them know we were alive and kicking. Luke and I stood up and prepared to fight the meatball-like robot, it was equipped with a large claw and a three-headed drill. "Crush them, Kaiser Dist!"

The machine smashed the floor with its arms as he rushed toward us, and we did our best to dodge the attack. The only way to deliver damage on that _thing_ was with artes, simple sword attacks wouldn't bring him down. I would constantly target its back and attack; I was a little envious about everyone's abilities, they made FoF and artes look easier to perform, while I could barely gather some fonons, not to mention I couldn't wear my capacity core to begin with.

Kaiser Dist turned around when I tried sneaking behind it, again. I rolled out of its way, when the _thing_ tried to pulverize me with the drill. The robot attacked again but Tokunaga (Anise) intercepted it, spinning vertically in the air and delivering a demolishing blow with a stuffed fist. "Dual Punishment!"

Kaiser Dist slammed on the floor, I would have expected the boat to start sinking at any moment, but it didn't. The fight kept going; I snatched out a gel from my bag and threw it to Guy. He had been thrown to the air with a fatal blow, but he was able to recover in midair. I was glad Pierce gave me those gels.

Tear shouted, "Invoke Gale!" A green (Wind) FoF appeared in the battlefield, I ran toward it. Asch had explained that a person can transform an arte into a FoF Change if the right arte is used. Light FoF allow you to use either fire or wind FoF Changes while Dark FoF allow you to use either earth or wind FoF Changes, in this case I could transform 'Fang Blade' into 'Lighting Tiger Blade' if I could just-

Today's lesson ended as I found Luke running towards _my_ FoF from the opposite direction, none of us slowed down when we looked at each other, actually, we ran faster and with determination. When did the battle turned into a competition?

We were both about to touch the circle when a blue flash of light shimmered above our heads. Luke and I had to retreat when the pots dancing in the air poured tons of water over Kaiser Dist. Luke and I glared at Jade, who had just casted 'Splash' over the enemy. Jade shrugged with a chaffing smile while Dist's cry could be heard in the background.

Kaiser Dist's system collapsed in seconds, the machine convoluted and sparks flew everywhere; the machine approached Tear dangerously, it was getting out of control.

"Negative Gate!" Anise shouted and a large bolt of dark energy materialized, the spell inflicted damage on the robot but that didn't stop it. Tear's feet had glued to the floor in astonishment. I ran towards her, in that instant a purple (Dark) FoF popped in the ground, just a few feet away from Tear, which had been caused by Anise's arte.

I dash toward the circle and pulled Tear out of the way. My left eye was stinging and I could feel my body attracting fonons like a magnet. The second my feet touched the FoF, my body moved on its own, converting 'Stygian Rain' into, "Aphotic Gale!" I jumped into the air and dark energy gathered around me and my blade. I slashed the machine while moving forward, in a diagonal angle.

The sound of the strike blew my ears and Kaiser Dist flew through the air from the impact, taking Dist along and landing a few miles away into the sea. After that, everything turned blurry and my legs could no longer support my body, I fell down on my back and everything turned black.

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><p>My eyelids felt heavy, well, my whole body felt that way. I could tell I was on a bed again, huh, passing out is becoming a hobby, isn't it? I tried opening my eyes but I was too tired to do anything, not even a sound. So, why I'm here in the first please…? I remember using a new arte trying to save Tear. What was it, again…? Aphotic…Gale?<p>

I heard a door creaking open, followed by footsteps.

"She'll be fine." Jade's voice rang softly, his boots clapping on the wooden floor.

"I know…It's just… I want to make sure, that's all." Tear's voice sounded from somewhere in the room, in a apprehensive tone. I would have tried to open my eyes or say something but I was too weak.

Another two voices rang, these ones were louder and I immediately recognized them as Luke and Anise.

"Ah, don't say stupid stuff like that!" Luke growled with annoyance.

"But Luke, I really love you~!" Anise tuned, their voices turning louder as they approached.

"Shhhh, what are you guys doing here?" Tear hissed in a low voice.

"We were worried about Jude." Ion's voice rang out of nowhere; I guess he came along with Anise and Luke.

"There is nothing to worry about; she only absorbed a great quantity of fonons in a short period of time." Jade replied. "I'd be more worried about the arte she used…"

"Yeah, it didn't seem to be common arte..." Anise mused.

"Huh? How the hell do you guys know that? It looked pretty normal to me!" Luke spat in his distinguishable mighty tone.

"It's not common to see a physical Dark arte." Tear replied in her usual stoic tone.

"I don't get it." Luke crossed his arms. I opened my eyes half-way since they were still heavy, my sight was blurry, a thick fog over my eyes but it started to vanish as I kept blinking. Tear was right beside the bed sitting on a chair, the rest were behind her.

"Me neither." I groaned weakly, everyone looked surprised that I had been hearing the conversation; no one said anything until Guy stepped into the room and spoke.

"If you had used a common arte, then it would have changed into an earth or water elemental arte, that's what most artes do."

"So Jude can use uncommon artes without knowing it?" Anise glancing at me skeptically, I was fighting against my eyelids, trying to keep them open.

"I suppose it has to do with her memory loss." Jade pointed out fixing his glasses. "She might have learned them before losing her memory; when she noticed Tear was in danger, the situation might have triggered her real abilities."

"That makes sense, but that doesn't explain why I can perform them." I mused, turning my head slowly to look at the Necromancer, he frowned. Luke shrugged indifferently while I was able to catch a worried expression on Ion's face.

Everyone looked a Jade waiting for him to come with answer but he preferred to say nothing. Tear glanced at me and tried masking her worries changing the topic. "How are you feeling?"

"A little weak, that's all." I tried sitting up but Tear said it was better to lie down.

She smiled weakly. "Thanks for saving me back there." She looked back at Luke expectantly, "You should thank her as well, you could have been crushed if she hadn't saved you."

Luke shot a brief glance at me, before spitting a not so sincere 'Thank you.' I snorted at his poor attempt.

"Ah, Guy, how are the reparations on the ship going?" Jade eyes drifted to him with curiosity.

"Oh, sorry, I had forgotten!" Guy smiled nerviously. "The captain said we will be getting to Baticul tomorrow, the trail from Chesedonia to Baticul is shorter than our last boat trip, but Dist's robot damaged some of the fontech engines in that fight."

"Well, I guess we have no other option." Jade concluded, Luke cursed under his breath and stomped out of the room with Anise on his heels. Jade, Guy and Ion left after them.

Tear stood up and smiled, "You should go back to sleep, there is plenty of time before getting to Baticul." I waved a hand to her as she closed the door behind her. Tomorrow we would arrive to Baticul and I was really excited about it, maybe I would be able to remember something at the manor that could help me understand Asch a little bit more. Ha! I wish he could have seen me do that arte; it would be funny to rub it on his face. I just couldn't believe people actually thought I had something with Asch! I mean, if it's a joke, then it's not even funny!

If Dist knew about that rumor Asch probably did too, I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Well, I probably won't see him again so what's the point in worrying about that? I would worry more about the idiot who said that because I would bring that person into a world of pain!

Anyway, the end of the Tear's journey was almost over, what would I do now? What was I going to do after getting to Baticul? I mean, everyone's priority was to deliver that letter of peace, then what? Well, I could think about that later, for now it was better to take some rest.

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><p><strong>*HappyStab comes in wrapped in bandages*<br>**

**WOOOHOOO... Fight scenes are so...hard to describe, honestly! Also, I went crazy trying to understand how FoF worked, I finally understood after watching a guide, if I had the game, it would be different!  
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**I had a hard time writing this time, AGHHHH! Well, anyway, NEXT CHAPTER is gonna be OMG!**

**Anyway, I've got this idea of telling you guys what I listen to, when I write certain part, so, I might be doing that starting the next chapter because without music I wouldn't be able to write!  
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**Reviews? Please?**


	9. Chapter 9: A Puppet in the Capital

**Ok, where do I start? This is the longest chapter so far and god, the hardest one to write as well! I'm a little nervous with this chapter since I always make someone read the it for me and tell me what they think, but there was no one that could read it for me this time, so if there is a mistake, I apologize!**

**IMPORTANT: **

**1)Anyway, before starting you need to know...Santa Claus DOES exist in Toa, ok? We all know he can disperse his fonons and come down the chimney!**

**2)This is a dark chapter, well, actually the whole story is a little dark, too bad you can put only two genders in the description of the story. Though it still has humor and romance as well!Also, I changed the order in which they meet Natalia, otherwise Jude wouldn't have seen her  
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**3) I love Machinea Supremacy! (btw, I'll put but the list of songs I used for this chapter down below!)**

Edit: I read it again and fix it! Sorry about the countless errors, I always re-read the chapters 3 days after uploading it, its the only way to detect every mistake.**  
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**Anyway, ENJOY!  
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><p>Chapter 9: A Puppet in the Capital<p>

My mouth dropped open, it was impossible to erase the astonishment from my face. We were all admiring, the mighty and splendorous city of Baticul as the ship loomed up towards the port. I knew Baticul was called the 'Capital of Light' and that it was the largest city from the Kingdom of Kimlasca, but I never imagined it was _this_ big. Tiers over tiers of districts rose above us and surpassed the dividing line between the landscape and the endless sky. Large wires of steel ran from the highest point of the city to the bottom, aircars going up and down hanging from said wires. It looked like a huge and expensive wedding cake, those cakes only nobles and royal idiots like Luke could afford.

Talking about weddings, royalty and idiots reminded me of a _tiny_ detail I had forgotten; didn't Asch mention something about an engagement…? Yeah, he did… He said Luke would marry the princess of Kimlasca, which meant that the one that was supposed to be marrying the princess should be Asch, an heir to the throne, that's a little bit shocking. Well, I suppose he wouldn't have been a bad king, after all, he was born as a monocratic jerk. Poor princess, her fate was to stick with either one of the two major assholes in the world, that's some luck. Honestly, I can't picture Luke as a king, it's just…no.

We jumped off the boat when we finally made it to the port, the atmosphere held an air of magnificence and opulence, whereas we were at the lowest part of the city. I couldn't believe I had forgotten a place like this, my eyes drifted to the end of the port where two individuals waited for us. A tall man with broad shoulders and a white moustache, right beside him, a woman with sandy-blonde hair, she was shorter than him and they both wore Kimlascan army uniforms.

"It is an honor." The man bowed to Ion and Luke. "I'm Goldberg commander of the 1st Division, Kimlasca-Lanvaldear Royal Forces." Goldberg pushed himself up, "Congratulations on your safe return."

"Yeah." Tear gave Luke a disapproving look for his lack of manners. He could at least have said 'thanks'.

"A carrier pigeon arrived with a message from Count Almandine." Goldberg mentioned looking at Ion. "He said you were traveling with an emissary of peace from the Malkuth Empire."

"I'm Ion, Fon Master from the Order of Lorelei." Ion inched forward; it was the first time I had seen Ion so serious. "I bear a letter from His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Peony the Ninth of the Malkuth Empire. May I ask an audience with His Majesty, King Ingobert the Sixth?"

Goldberg smiled with courtesy, "Of course. General Cecille here will be responsible to escort you to the castle."

"Brigadier General Cecille, at your services." She introduced herself with a small bow as well. Guy had started shaking at the thought of _another_ woman joining us. That led us to the 'oh' so unwanted introductions, you know, military titles and all. I was wishing to be swallowed by the ground or the sea in this case. I just couldn't accept the fact that I had been fired a few weeks ago, what would I say? Asch's Bitch: Jude Haefner, Oracle Knights 'My Ass' Division!

Fortunately, it was not necessary to introduce myself because General Cecille was too wrapped up admiring the great and mighty Colonel Jade Curtiss, the person who wiped out her troops or so she said. I took that opportunity to hide behind Tear.

"You're well known as the Emperor's personal confidant, Colonel." Goldberg exclaimed, I glanced at Jade with amusement, will he ever stop being so amazing? "If you are here, Malkuth must indeed be serious."

"Tensions along the border are greater now than at the star of the Hod War. We have no choice but to be serious."

"Correct. Well, then, Luke my Baticul defense unit will escort you back to your home." I was surprised when Luke requested to talk with the king on Ion's behalf; all traces of seriousness vanished from Ion's face and were replaced with a grateful smile. Even Tear mentioned how Luke understood his responsibility. Ok, so the guy has his own way to show gratitude, I can't deny that. He is capable of being benevolent, at least when he wants to, it reminds me of a certain _someone_. It was hard not to think of Asch whenever I looked at him, it was really interesting to see _his_ face show embarrassment, fear or anything Asch wouldn't do.

"Understood. In that case, I shall send General Cecille to inform His Grace, Duke Fabre." Goldberg glanced at his partner, "If you would, General Cecille." General Cecille nodded and walked away, the tension in Guy's body reduced considerable. Goldberg left with another bow; there was no need for an escort since we had Guy to take us to the castle. Luke looked around at the place like if it was the first time he had seen the city, that's when Guy brought up an interesting fact; Luke had never gone out of the manor ever since he got kidnapped, which explains his churlish behavior. But for now, he looked depressed. For a split second, I thought he'd jump off the aircar we were riding on, the reason why Guy suggested taking a look around before heading to the castle.

Guy, our tour guide, explained the city was built up in a crater created by a fonstone that fell from the sky. It must have taken many years to build something beautiful and complex as this city.

Indeed, it was well-kept, neat streets and markets. People engrossed in their daily tasks, the place was obviously divided by social status, but no one seemed to mind that, at least not in the lower class tier. Anise fell in love with the place, going here and there, checking every shop that had shiny, pretty things. Luke's bleakness vanished and was replaced with curiosity while Anise, Mieu and Ion went to the next shop. He made sure Anise was far enough so she wouldn't hear what he was about to ask.

"Hey, Guy, I've been wondering for quite a while now..." Luke began; poking a doll from the stand we were looking at, it reminded me of Arietta's doll. "How does Anise makes Tokunaga grow?"

Jade, Tear and I looked at each other, what's with the randomness? Guy was caught off guard too, "Umm, well, I really don't know. Why are you asking me?" Well, you always explain when the rest of us are too lazy to do it!

"You know a lot of stuff." Luke replied picking the doll to have a better look at it. An evil smile curled on my lips as the last words came out of his mouth. I love being spontaneously evil. I could have a little fun with this…

I blew a slacken whistle of 'dilemma' and rolled my eyes. Just as expected, it caught both, Luke's and Guy's attention, my lovely victims. "So, you guys don't know?" My voice held an air of mystery.

Luke and Guy looked at each other before looking back at me. "You guys haven't heard about the 'Cursed Black Widow'?" They shook their heads, a trace of innocence and curiosity spread on their faces, respectively; it almost makes me crack up. Tear and Jade were behind me, listening.

"There is an old story about a powerful witch called the 'Cursed Black Widow'; she didn't have any friends, everyone was afraid of her for being a witch. The only friends she had were her spooky-looking dolls." I snatched the doll from Luke's hand and shook it a little bit, the doll's limbs moved with the motion.

"They say she could make the dolls move with dark magic! According to the story, she'd seek for handsome noblemen and marry them. She would kill them and stuff the dolls with their corpses." I watched expectantly as both guys went pale, whiter than paper. I was about to continued when Jade decided to play along, adding some credibility to my story.

"Ahhh, the 'Curse Black Widow', I hadn't heard that story in a while…." A playful smile on his lips, I smirked back at him. "She would marry one noble after another and used their souls to make the dolls come to life. Yes, quite a story." Tear shook her head in disbelief. She knew I was lying but still, who would doubt the Necromancer with such story? Somehow, there was a little bit of truth in his words, at least in the 'used their souls' part, that's what I think.

I nodded back at Jade in acknowledgement, nice one, Jade! I brought the doll close to their faces, "That's right, that's why the dolls would grow larger and move." Poor Luke turned around to look at Anise, who was talking with the owner of one of the many shops in the market; he looked like he had regret asking about it. No different from Guy, whose eye was twitching, he was probably having a mental image of my (made up) story.

"Of course, the witch is dead now." I added, faking indifference and placing the doll where it had been before. "But I've heard that other women follow her example." I used a thumb to point the small Fon Master Guardian. With the precision of a Daathic clock, Anise ran toward us and wrapped her arms around Luke's waist with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, Luke my beloved-" interrupted by unmanly screams coming from Luke and Guy. For one second, I thought Luke was going to jump to Guy's arms. But that would have been impossible because Guy jumped to Jade's arms. Thank Yulia, Jade had his hands stuck inside his pockets, otherwise Guy wouldn't have fall to the floor, and I'd have been jealous.

"Wha-what's wrong?"Anise blinked with confusion, her arms where still on the air, arched as they had been before Luke decided to jump away. Her question went unnoticed as I covered my mouth and laughed; Jade snorted and cleared his throat with a fist over his mouth. Town folks had stopped to look at us with curiosity.

"You guys are terrible…" Tear sighed placing a hand over her head and one on her waist. Luke glared at Jade and me while Guy scrambled to his feet, having troubles because his legs were shaking.

"S-She is evil." He stammered and Luke nodded shooting daggers at me. "You too!" Guy added, gazing at Jade.

"Come on guys! It was just a joke!"I felt a little bad for Guy, I really like him but I must admit messing with them was fun, especially with Luke. Anise demanded an answer and Jade explained her with meat and potatoes. She gave me a stern look when Jade was finished.

"Boo! Jude is a meanie!" She scowled, folding her arms over her chest. "She wants to take Luke awa-"

"You know, I got a refund ticket for that ring I bought to you..." I grinned, but a vein popped out of my head, clearly annoyed by her comment.

She twitched nervously and then, she wrapped her arms around my waist with optimism. "Jude is like an older sister to me~." I whispered, 'That's better.' And she forced a smile, one that said 'You'll pay for this.'

"Jude is just as hateable as Jade." Luke growled, looking at Guy to get his support. But Guy shook his head from left to right when I rubbed my hands evilly, clearly not wanting to mess with me.

I smiled back at Jade with mischief, "Jade and Jude, even our names are similar. See? We are meant to be together." I think Jade is starting to trust me now! Hooray!

"My, my, you flatter me." Jade chuckled with his distinguishing tone of amusement. "But flattery won't get you anywhere, young lady." I pouted and huffed when I heard Anise and Luke snorting behind me. Ugh, it's impossible to win against Jade and his comebacks!

When Luke was satisfied with what he had seen, we headed to the castle. We got into an elevator and walked out when we overtook the next district, that's when we noticed _them_. Not so far away from us was the infamous trio we encountered in Chesedonia, the Dark Wings. None of us minded what they were doing here, but they were talking to an oracle knight, isn't that suspicious?

Oracle Knights are like black cats, you cross paths with one and you end up chained to a mattress, flying on griffins, jumping off from landships, ran over by rivers and opening some replica's fon slots, you know, the usual. No offense to Anise or Tear, but if I had to thank Yulia for getting kicked out. Then, I had plenty of reasons to do so.

"...I see. That's our specialty." The woman in red giggled, as we walked by.

"We'll expect a fat check for this one." Mr. Penguin chirped, what was his name…Urushi?

"This is going to be a big job, Noir." York beamed; his name was easier to remember, pork, dork, fork, see? Ah and apparently, the old lady's name is Noir. At this point, none of us cared or felt like hiding to hear their conversation, too fucking tired for that. Luke was the first one to speak.

"What's up? You're going thieving again?" He placed his fists on his waist in a scolding manner.

The thieves and the knight turned around quickly. The knight stammered, "W-well, then. That will be all. Excuse me, Fon Master." I had the urge to tackle him and demand some answers about that ridiculous rumor going around, but I knew I couldn't ask in front of the others. I was glad that they had forgotten about that with the so called _mystery_ of my artes. I hadn't thought about them that much, I was just happy to be able to perform a decent attack.

Anyway, even if I had tried to ask the knight for a logical or mathematical answer (which, if you ask me, would need background research, a hypothesis and a logical god damn conclusion.) concerning _that_ rumor, it would have been impossible because as soon as the knight glanced at me, he ran away like he had just seen the devil. Awk~ward.

"Oh, is that boy Fon Master Ion?" Noir's question brought my attention back to the trio. Anise stepped in front of Ion protectively.

"What do you want, old lady?" She growled, giving Noir a poisonous look.

Noir mimicked Anise's expression, "Quiet, little girl. Or are you a boy? It's hard to tell."Anise balled her fists with anger, a dark aura coming from her.

"At least she doesn't look like a whore." I stated matter-of-factly. I could tell Tear was glaring at me, either because I just don't know when to shut up or because of my 'coarse' way of speaking; she had scolded me a few times about that. Either way, Noir ignored the insult and scowled at her comrades, they were engrossed in a conversation, whispering to each other and looking at me, the same way people stares at you and giggles when they know your dirtiest secret. Ah, crap, this is seriously getting out of control!

Before I could complain about them, Noir spoke, "We've got a great show in store for you, kids. Look forward to it." She winked at Guy, which almost makes him pass out. "Let's go, boys." Guy regained his composure when they were gone. He said something about the Dark Wings looking like the circus troupe, the Black Dream, which could explain their creepiness. At any rate, everyone told Ion to be careful since those creeps were obviously planning something.

Done chatting, we head to the castle, for real this time. Another elevator took us to the highest tier of the city. Oh, Lorelei, flawless gardens and immaculate structures stood before us. I shook my head in disbelief and turned around to admire the view from here. "Bastard…" I muttered to myself, nonetheless the insult was addressed to Asch because he had been born in pure 'A_sch_wesomeness'.

The guards of the castle let us in; I barely had time to admire the luxurious corridors of the castle. Luke wanted to be done with this as soon as possible to be able to go back to the manor. So, when a guard told him His Majesty was in an audience with Mohs, the guy that wanted to start the war and Tear's boss as well, all his demons came out.

Luke wore an expression that said 'Oh no, you didn't!' while he threatened to chop off some heads if someone dared to stop him. He stormed into the audience room and we followed him. Inside was His Majesty, sitting on his throne, beside him was a short man that looked like Santa Claus, maybe his assistant. And a few feet away from us, a man in white robes and the features of a frog, probably Mohs.

"The Malkuth Empire is strengthening the defenses in their capital, Grand Chokmah. With Engeve as their supply base, even Saint Binah has been-"Definitely Mohs! He shut his mouth as soon as he sensed us behind him.

We were verbally attacked by Santa Claus, but Luke wasn't in the mood to get ordered around or to listen to anybody. King Ingobert looked surprised for a moment, but his composure came back when he saw the little troublemaker was no other than his nephew. And from his reaction, I could tell he had been waiting for us.

Mohs looked nervous, but managed to fake concern over Ion saying they had been 'looking' for him. More like, trying to kidnap him and almost killing us in the process, but I guess that was just a tiny detail to Mohs.

"Mohs. Let us speak later." Ion glanced at him briefly before turning back to His Majesty. Go Ion, he is the authority! "Your Majesty, this is Colonel Jade Curtiss. He represents His Imperial Majesty, Peony the Ninth."

Jade bowed solemnly, "I'm honored to be in your presence." Goldberg said Jade was the Emperor's personal confidant, Peony must really trust Jade, I bet he knew Jade would have found a way to deliver the letter, even without Luke. "I bear an imperial letter from my lord for His Glorious Majesty, King Ingobert the Sixth."

"Uncle, what Mohs is saying is nonsense." Luke inched forward territorially and pointing Mohs with a finger. "I went and saw Malkuth with my own eyes. We didn't get close to the capital but Engeve and St. Binah were completely peaceful."

Mohs's face contorted with indignation, "W-what did you say? I'm merely trying to convey to His Majesty the threat that Malkuth-"

"Shut up! You're just trying to start a war! I don't even know you and I'm sick of you already!" His nasty attitude is surprisingly useful today. Ingobert intervened, he would get to read the letter after all, and at this point that was enough. I mean, we were all tired and I was wishing to relax a bit ever since Sync and Dist left me behind at Choral Castle.

I was happy to hear they had prepared some rooms for us in the castle. Ingobert asked Alpine A.K.A Santa Claus, to escort us there but Ion insisted on visiting Luke's manor first. I smiled at him, even if he is the Fon Master, the symbol of the Order of Lorelei, he is still a child and that's what I like about him. And, well, I still had energy to have a look at the manor.

"Tear, you stay here." Mohs ordered bitterly. "I must hear your report regarding the matter I assigned you." I pressed my lips together, I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but even I have my limits, especially when the king of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear is present.

"Grand Maestro, it is my responsibility to see that Luke makes it safely to his manor. I'll return with my report shortly." Tear answered with 'due respect'. The man had been lying to the king when we came in, for Yulia's Sake! I never went to St. Binah or Engeve while I was with Asch, but I knew very well that the ones messing around in those areas had been the Order of Lorelei and the Six-God Generals.

Mohs agreed to the terms and excused himself before leaving, giving us a dirty look as he walked out. King Ingobert waited for Mohs to close the door behind him before turning to Luke, a troubled expression on his face.

"Luke, Susanne has fallen ill."

"Mother's sick?"

"I've sent Natalia to her side in my place. Please look after them for me." With that, we left the audience room. I didn't get to tease Luke for his remarkable performance back there since it was obvious he was worried about his mother. So we followed him through the corridors of the castle without making any comments.

Instead, I looked back at Tear and whispered, "Hey, what are going to do after this?"

"I still have a mission to accomplice, orders from Maestro Mohs." She replied softly, though there was a bit of doubt in her eyes. "What about you?"

"That's a good question…" I crossed my arms and scowled "I had a mission as a Yurian Warrant Officer but I'm useless without my memory." She frowned, and the others turned and look at me… so, they could hear after all…

"Don't say stuff like that." Tear huffed in a heart-grieving tone. "You were a big help against Dist, remember?" I nodded shamefully, she had a point there.

"She's right." Ion gave me a sweet smile. "I'm sure you'll realize how special you are, with or without your memories." Those words sank into my heart, and I smiled wide enough to make everyone stop looking at me like I had killed a cute cheagle in front of their eyes.

"Idiot." Luke concluded, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Awww, that's the sweetest thing you have said to me, Luke." I teased and he gave me a stern look. We were a few steps away from the manor's front door, when it opened from inside.

A beautiful girl came out; she had short, blonde hair and fern green eyes. Although I hate dresses, I had to admit, the one she was wearing was really cute, or just looked good on her, probably both. Her face lit up when her eyes found Luke on her way; she jumped over him and embraced him in a tight hug. "Luke, it's you! Oh, thank goodness!"

I stepped away from Anise, hot waves of anger where flowing from her. Luke rolled his eyes and grunted, not hugging her back. The girl stepped away to look him in the eye, "What kind of attitude is that?" She scolded. "Do you realize how worried I was?"

Guy spoke. "Oh, well, you know. Luke's just embarrassed, Your Highness." Oh, wait she's the princess…? Ah, this is Natalia.

"Ah, Guy, it's you!" She crossed her arms in discontent. "I told you to come tell me before you went searching for Luke! Why did you leave without speaking to me?" Guy backed away from her when she approached him.

Natalia shook her head, "Once I marry Luke you'll be my servant too, so you'll have to get used to me." Yeah, she is definitely the princess. Guy hid behind Luke; Natalia waved her hand indifferently, "You are so strange. Look how pathetic you are, I don't know what the maids see in you."

I sneaked behind Tear. "What's wrong with this girl?" I whispered, raising a brow at the princess. Jeez, and I thought she was going to be the one suffering from all the brilliant marriage idea. Poor Guy, he would have to deal with them.

"Who are they?" Natalia turned and scanned Tear, Anise and me with disapproving eyes. Wait, so I was here before, but she doesn't know me? Before the conversation could go any further, a roar drew our attention.

"YOU?" General Cecille and a man with mid-length dark red hair (like Asch's) were looking at us from the manor's entrance. General Cecille was looking at the man beside him, quiet startled. Apparently, he was the one that growled a few seconds ago. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

It took me some time to figure out he was talking to me, but I was too confused to speak, what did I do now? "F-Father?" Luke frowned. Duke Fabre? Natalia and Guy looked shocked, Jade, Anise and Ion where observing behind us while Tear had frozen, right beside me.

"I warned you to stay away from my son!" He yelled again. "How didn't I see it before? You were helping Van as well!"

I shook my head in disbelief, "Sir, with due respect, I don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't play dumb." He gnarled furiously. "I told you to never set a foot back into my house!"

"You've been here before?" Luke questioned, and for a second, I felt cornered. Like admitting it would be wrong.

"I-"

"Take her to the prison!" Duke Fabre ordered, and before I could figure out whom was he talking to, my ears drummed with the loud sound of metal striking on flesh and bone. I was knocked to the ground, screams, armors clapping and pinning me to the ground. I felt numb and disorientied.

"Stay away from her!" Tear cried, but I couldn't see her anywhere since the guards where pressing my cheek on the ground as they tied my hands behind my back. That's when I understood, the loud sound that I had heard before had been a guard using his pole to strike me; the reason why blood was dripping from the side of my head. There was noise around me; it was like having a crowd, screaming at your ears.

"Father, what are you doing?"

"Jude, Jude are you ok? Please talk to me!"

"Your Grace, please listen!"

"She is bleeding!"

"Ion, we have to do something!"

There was more noise as the guards lifted my limb body off the ground, I couldn't tell how many of them were. My vision was still blurry, but I managed to see Tear and Luke trying to push off some guards that were intentionally blocking their way, or at least I think it was them. I overheard a few words from over the crowd.

Van…Conspiracy…Jude…Execution.

The last word was enough stimulation to start squirming, "Let go off me!" They had to be more than two guards because I felt a lot of hands grabbing my legs and arms. I felt a drop of blood run down my face as I kept struggling; I was getting tired, quicker than I thought and the voices started to echo as I started losing consciousness.

"…shit…not again."I closed my eyes as the last words reached my ears.

"Don't tell Susanne…"

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><p>The sound of water drops echoed in my ears, the numbness ruling over my body started to vanish and my senses started to work again. I was lying on the cold floor, the dullest of rooms. There was a nauseating smell, an infusion: humidity, rust and… rotten eggs? Gross. A cold drop of water landed on my cheek, rebooting all my senses at once…leaking water?<p>

I found out my hands had been untied and lift off my head from the floor. 'Why does this stuff happens to me?' I thought as I rubbed the side of my skull, a sharp pain had started to replace the numbness.

I was in a small room with metal bars, a prison cell. There was a bucket of water beside me, and a stool a few feet away. A faint rectangle of light projected on the floor of my cell, the light came from a small window above my head, this one had metal bars as well. I dragged my legs to the bucket, I was about to wash my face when I sensed someone watching me. I turned around, right in front of my cell was another one, and it was occupied.

"Are you ok?" _He_ asked. I bared my teeth, giving _him_ a murderous expression. Somehow, I managed to stand up and stumbled to the bars for support.

"Look at my face, you idiot." I snarled, wiping the blood away. "Do I look, ok? This is your fucking fault!" Van's stoic expression remained that way. He was sitting on the stool of his cell, no scratches, no marks or a bruised ego.

"You were like that when they brought me here. What happened?" There was no concern or curiosity in his voice.

"They think I'm your stupid accomplice. What the fuck did you do now?" I growled, pressing my forehead on the bars, glaring at the floor with half shut eyes because of the pain.

"What are you talking about?" Again, his tone was plain and indifferent, but when I looked up, my eyes widened when I found a smirk on his face.

"You son of a bitch! I hope they kill you!" My knuckles turned white as my grip tightened on the bars. "Asch told me. He told me the real son of a bitch you are, you kidnapped him and replaced him with a replica!" I turned to the metal door between our cells, hoping someone was there. "Is anyone listening? Van Grants, Commandant of the Order of Lorelei, kidnapped Luke fon Fabre!"

Van laughed his ass off, not even caring to be heard. He stood up and walked to the bars, his lips were still curved into that ugly smirk. "We are in the deepest part of the castle, guards come as they go." His smirk turned into a wide smile, "No one can listen to you."

I stared at him in horror, who was this person? Why wasn't he surprised that I knew? Why? My heart started racing, fear and anxiety pressing on my chest. "You…you knew?" I stammered. "You knew Asch would tell me…"

He chuckled. "Everyone has a weak spot, I just happened to be correct when I chose you…"

I shook my head, his words sinking into my head. "W-wha, what?" Then, one by one, each piece started to fall into place…Luke Fon Fabre's childhood friend…

_"If the data here was that important, __**you shouldn't have had Asch use Choral Castle in the first place**__."_

_"That idiot came here on his own. __**We'll have to have Van punish him later**__."_ Van…he knew…he knew… why we were there.

_Van shook his head and sighed, "I should have seen this coming when Arietta said Asch had planned all this. __**I'm really sorry you got involved in this matter, Jude**__."_ Lie.

_"I was planning a reunion so you could see her," Van said as he glanced at Tear, "__**I guess the best we can do know is to let her go with you.**__" _Lie.

Van's laugh brought me back to reality; he must have seen realization in my eyes. My hands were shaking, fear, anger? I wasn't sure myself. "W-What are going to do to Asch?" I spluttered, fear leaking out from my voice.

He laughed once more; his dark-blue eyes were clouded with euphoria. I rested my knees on the floor, it was almost impossible to stay up now, my legs were shaking. "You are worried about him?" He sneered. "Your dear Asch will be fine... He is the _key_, after all." He turned his back to me, "But, what about you?"

"M-me?" He took out something from his pocket, it was silver and shiny. I couldn't see what it was, his cell was too dark. Van turned and showed it to me, it was Asch's medallion, the one with large wings and intertwined rings, his capacity core. "That's Asch-" But I cut off my own sentence, when I noted the stone in the center was from a different color, amber. "No, it's not the same…"

"Correct." His gaze locked on the accessory with dead eyes, his smile had been reduced to a straight line. "It's time for you to be a good _puppet_ and do what I say."I frowned at the term _puppet_, who the hell does he think he is?

"What makes you think I'll help you?" I scoffed with a cold smile. "People like you make me sick! Besides, what makes you think we'll get out of here alive?"

"Many things…" Van pressed his back on the wall. "Tell me _Jude_, what would you do if you where a replica?" I raised a brow; silence was all he got for an answer. "Let me be more specific. What would you do if you where the first replica with a past?" I didn't answer either, what does he wants to prove? What's the catch?

He continued. "A special replica among replicas." His eyes were still locked on the object, twisting it between his fingers to see the details spark with the few rays of sunlight that came from the small window. "A special _puppet_."

"What are you…?" I forced myself to stop halfway, swallowing the last word down my throat.

"…Implying?" He retorted, "Puppet…" My throat felt dry all of a sudden. No. No. No.

"You're lying! Stop lying!" I growled. I could feel my heart drumming inside my rib cage. Too fast it hurt.

He glanced at me with cold eyes. "The _ideal_ replica."

_"I suppose you heard that conversation just now…I have heard__** you are even more screwed than this idiot, whatever they did to you… it's working.**__"_

"Shut up!" I was back on my feet again, "SHUT UP!" Even if _they_ were lying, I couldn't hold back what I felt. Because of him, I was stuck here, and because of Duke Fabre's hatred as well. I do remember saying things didn't go _too well_ in the manor in one of my memories.

He looked at the medallion. "Thanks to this... You are Ju-"

"I said-"

He pointed the bucket that was a behind me. "Look at the water…" I looked down at the water, just because I wanted to get out of his little game. I found my reflection, both eyes were blue, it changed again? My eye started stinging again and I fell on my knees, the bucket of water was a few inches away from my face. And right before my eyes, I saw it on the water's reflection… My left eye decolorized from blue to yellow, blood dripping from it again. I twisted in pain, covering my eye with a hand; the pain would not go away and I dug my nails on my skin with desperation.

"Look." Van commanded, even if he hadn't told me to look, the yellowish light coming from the medallion's jewel lit up the whole room. "Let me show you… what I can do."

-0-0-0-

Memory Fragment: Danny (age: 7)

I closed the door of my room behind me and ran downstairs, the stairs squeaked loudly as I went down. I made my way to the kitchen, the start of another lightless day and yet I was welcomed with one of the brightest and authentic smiles I have ever seen.

"Good morning!" chirped Danny looking at me over her shoulder. Her thin hoary hair brushed her shoulders, her green eyes sparkling vivaciously. Even though she was seventy years old, she was very lively.

"Good morning Danny!" I replied with the same enthusiasm. I crawled over the chair and swung my legs happily waiting for her to take out the bread out of the oven, the one she had baked for us. Today we were having a picnic.

She noticed how impatient I was, I'd peep in direction to the oven every five seconds, "Now now my dear, Jude be patient, if you run with the basket you may trip." She said opening the oven and taking the tray with her cooking gloves.

"It's not like I trip all the time!" I reproached, crossing my arms.

"Oh really?" She faked ignorance, but then pointed my right leg. "So what's that bruise in your leg?"

I sighed, "Ok, maybe I get too excited sometimes..." She carefully sliced the bread into pieces and placed them inside a wooden basket then, she covered it with a blanket. The aluminum thermos filled with fresh orange juice was next; she gave me both items with a smile.

"Be careful honey, please don't run, we don't want to cause trouble to other people, do we?" She leaned and kissed my forehead.

"Don't worry Danny, I'll be careful, I'll be back when we are finished." I replied with a hug.

"Ok, now go, Van and Tear must be waiting for you." I nodded, she opened the front door for me and I walked out. I walked until she closed the door. I stared at the door to make sure she wouldn't go out again then, I started running, I'm not so sure why I'd always do what they told me not to do, but then again, many kids are like that at such a young age.

I quickly got to the selenias' garden, Van and Tear where sitting around them as usual. I think Van could have done something else than hanging around with us, but he still did. Well, he would join us whenever he wasn't practicing with his sword. He had always been really good with it, even before I met him; I wanted to learn how to use one but he wouldn't teach me, of course.

"Oi!" The rings of the basket resting somewhere near my elbow as I waved happily. Tear forced a smile, it didn't reach her eyes. It meant something was wrong.

"What's with that long face?" I asked her, sitting beside them. Van just scratched his head messing the mid-length bangs of his hair; he pressed his lips forming a straight line, which meant he wasn't going to open his mouth for this one.

"Van is joining the Order of Lorelei…" Tear said in a dry tone.

"What's that?" I looked up at Van incredulously. Biting my lip and closing my eyes halfway.

"The central religious organization of our world, Auldrant. I want to join the Oracle Knights." Van replied.

"I see…" I said, though I didn't. "Why?"

Van was silent for a moment, he frowned. "Well…it's something I feel I need to do, like a mission."

Tear shook her head in disapproval, "Van won't be here anymore, he'll have to go to Daath."

My gaze fell with sadness, "Really?"

"Yeah…I'm sorry." He mumbled, his eyes rolled up to avoid our puppy faces. "I'll leave next week."

"So soon?" I complained, resting my knuckles on my waist. He nodded, slowly. No one spoke after that, guilt could be seen in his eyes. I spaced out for a moment, not having Van around would feel…empty.

"I think we should eat now..." He chuckled. "I'm hungry."

"Oh, that's right!" I chirped putting the basket and the thermos in front of me. Tear took out the jar of jam, strawberry flavor and the peanut butter jar too. Van took out the plastic cups and started to fill them with orange juice. I was pretty sure Van's friends would have laughed at him if they saw him playing with us; then again, he would do _anything_ for Tear.

The sadness slipped away for an hour. We found eternity in a moment, when our past meets the future, that's how the present is born, the only moment the Score couldn't touch us. The Score can't tell you if you'll feel: happy, alone, excited, confused, embarrassed, afraid, alive…or gone. It can't tell you what he/she thinks about you, if the person you love, loves you back. Or doesn't. But it still takes away a third of your life, a third of 'what if´s', of mistakes, of surprises. Van would do his best to remind us, almost every day.

When we were done, Van asked Tear to take their stuff to Mayor Teodoro. I jumped to my feet, the basket on my right hand and the thermos in my left hand.

"Jude?" I turned; Van approached to me and crouched.

"You are going to take care of Tear while I'm gone, right?"He asked; hope leaking out from his voice.

"Sure, don't worry." I beamed and then, a question popped in my head. "Van, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Daath, that place is in the Outer Lands, right?" I tilted my head.

"Umm yes, why you ask?"

"I want to see the Outer Lands too…" I mumbled. "Maybe, one day I'll see you there. I'll take Tear with me…"

Van blinked a couple of times and then smirked, "Why don't we make a deal?"

I raised a brow, "A deal?"

"Yeah, when I get strong enough, I'll take you and Tear to the Outer Lands, like a vacation. Of course, I'll have to bring you back here after that." He mused, poking me in the shoulder.

My eyes sparkled with happiness, "You promise?" He nodded, his bangs moving with the motion. "Then I'll promise too, I promise to take care of Tear while you are gone!" A smug drew on his face and he ruffled my hair.

"That's perfect." He said. After that we took separate ways, I sauntered my way back home.

"I'm home!" I raised my voice so Danny could hear me as I closed the door behind me; she would always greet me with a hug, not this time though...

"Danny!" I went to the living room, she wasn't there, I went to the kitchen, and she wasn't there. I went upstairs and walked inside her room, I smiled. I found her sitting in her old rocking chair, she was sleeping.

I approached to her and touched her arm, "Danny, I'm here."I tugged from her long sleeved shirt, "Danny!"

"Danny." I tugged again.

"Danny?" My voice cracked as I shook her shoulder.

"Danny? DAAAANNY!" Danny Haefner wasn't there, the end of another lightless day and the Score couldn't touch me.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, before I go on with the list of songs, there are a few things I need to say:<strong>

**1) I swear I didn't know the main character of Tales of Xillia is called Jude! When I saw the trailer I didn't know that was his name. Also I noticed the similarities in Jude & Jade until the third chapter, to be honest I thought more about Judy (TOV) & Jude since they both have blue hair! XD**

**2) Also, I had them meet Natalia first, otherwise Jude wouldn't have met her.  
><strong>

**Ok, anyway the list of songs for this chapter!**

**Calling to the Night- Natasha Farrow (piano version) - (MGS has an awesome soundtrack)**

**Progress - Ayumi Hamasaki (Tales of Xillia Main Theme) -(found it a few days ago when they told me about the mane of the main char.)**

**The One - Tantric (I LOVE THIS SONG! Whenever I read the lyrics I think about Luke & Asch)**

**Lonely Wolf - Lineage 2 (good old times!)  
><strong>

**AND FINALLY! **

**Nova Prospekt - Machinea Supremacy (they rock, there is a song called Shinigami, its a reference to Death Note! They also have a song called World Of Light, their own cover for Light Yagami's theme song!) They have lots of awesome songs but I can't write all of them here!  
><strong>

**A/N: It may look like I have seen a lo of anime but the truth is I've only seen Death Note, Code Geass and Toradora -(though, I never finished it) XD**


	10. Chapter 10: Kings and Pawns

**Why, hello guys!**

**Just to clear some doubts, yes, Seal of Oblivion goes all the way to the game's end, in other words, it's really long! HOWEVER! I promise to make this story as interesting, funny and shocking as possible! XD**

**Also, the story's theme song is changing next chapter! It's an idea I had since the beginning of this story and I'll explain what that is about next chapter! Hopefully it will make this story more interesting...**

**Disclaimer: TOA = Not Mine!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: Kings and Pawns<p>

I was doing my best to keep myself warmed; hugging my legs tightly. Still and all, the sogginess of the cell won over my corporal heat. My world had reduced to a miserable corner of my cell, like it was the only safe place around here. The sky had darkened a few hours after…_that _happened. I hid my face between my arms and legs, swollen eyes due to crying for hours, at least all trails of tears had vanished now. What time is it? How much time have I been here? Less than a day, I supposed.

I uncovered my face; my eyes met the puddle of blood close to the bars, my blood…no…_her_ blood. The sight brought up the rest of my conversation with Van…

_***Flash Back***_

_My face was resting on the floor; the memory Van had showed me had just flashed through my eyes, it had worn me out. I found myself sobbing and gasping for air, my hands balled into fists and the pain was evanescing as the seconds went by. "No, Danny…How could I forget you...?"_

_Van clapped a hand around one of the bars of his cell, "Can't you understand what I just said?" Regardless of the question he continued, "You are Jude's replica; I implanted her memories on you!" His deep voice raised an octave or two._

_I lifted my head from the floor and used my arms to pull myself up; my face was sticky with tears and blood that had flown out from my tear ducts. "You, you said I fell from a cli-"_

"_The real Jude fell off a cliff!" He shouted, his arms were trembling with anger and he bowed his head. There was regret leaking out of his words, "She didn't make it… You might act like her, talk like her and look like her, but you'll never be as nearly as good as she was." _

_I swallowed, my throat was seared and my lips trembled. I wanted to shout, I wanted to get out of there, run away. I wanted my rapier and his blood on my hands. Van was right there, in front of my eyes and yet, I knew those damn bars wouldn't come down. Not for revenge or any of my other harmful emotions. "Then, why am I here?" I gnarled, wiping the blood off my eye and face. "WHY?"_

_He looked up, "Jude was the only one that could have brought Tear back to me…" He began. "The only one that could have convinced her to join me… I needed a replica, one with her memories. Unfortunately, the memories can't come back all at once…"_

"_Y-You…" I stammered. Anger bubbled inside me and I gave him a cold smile. "You must be really stupid if you think I'll help you!"_

_His shoulders dithered with a silent chuckle, "Oh, really?" he mocked. "Can you imagine Asch's face when he finds out?" My eyes widened and my mouth fell open realizing what he had just said. "He'll surely find an appropriate nickname for you, just like he did with his replica. He has his own ways to deal with hatred; of course, you already know that... And you know how rumors can spread really quickly…" _

_I opened and closed my mouth several times, the words 'fuck' and 'you' had stuck in my throat. He shoved the medallion inside his pocket again. "What about Tear? You think she'll accept you? Do you think she would be ok with that? Looking at the person that stole her friend's face and personality? A replacement..." He scoffed. _

_I shook my head with indignation, "You knew I would grow fond of them…"I bowed my head; my hair covered my eyes from sight. "That's why you made me stay with Asch…that's why you suggested me to travel with Tear and the others…"_ _Of course, he also knew the memories would come back in his advantage, that medallion…what is that thing?_

"_You are still predictable, just like her…" He mused resting his back on the wall. "If you help me with Tear then, there is no need for anyone to know this little secret."_

_I winced at the tasteless tone his last words held; Van, disgusting piece of shit. I clenched my teeth, tears rolled down again. I hate you; I swear to Lorelei I hate you! And for an instant, I knew how Asch had felt all those years as Van's servant. Having the sickest man in front of your eyes, someone that knows how to pull the strings, __**untouchable**__._

_His next words made the tears stop, and I stared in horror because I knew what my answer was going to be. "If you do it, I'll set you free from the medallion's power." Freedom… Freedom. "So, are you going to do what I say or are you ready for rejection…?"_

_***Flash Back* **_

The loud clicking sound of a door being unlocked brought me back to the world, said sound came from my prison cell's door. There was a White Knight looking at me from the shaded insides of his helmet, he was holding the door open. "Move your ass, Haefner." The man croaked. "You are free."

I staggered to my feet; I briefly glanced at the bucket of water I had used to clean the blood and the wound of my head. I had also tried cleaning the blood stains from my white trousers, but I knew blood and white fabric weren't the best combination. I looked at Van as I stepped out of the cell; he was sitting in the stool, looking at me with calculative eyes. Another sick smile tugged from his lips and I balled my hands into fists.

I looked away as I was escorted by the knight towards the exit. He grabbed me by an arm but I pushed it off. "I can walk on my own, thanks." I spat bitterly.

He ignored what I said and handed the rapier and my bag, which I must say, it had less gels than the last time I checked and Asch's money was nowhere to be found. Fuck those guards! No money, no clean clothes. But I was glad I kept Asch's ring inside the pocket of my coat, if the guards had discovered it in my bag I'd probably be dead by now. I turned around to find an overwhelmed Tear trying to oppress her happiness into her stoic mask, yet unsuccessfully.

She wrapped her arms around me, "Oh, Jude, I was so worried about you." Her action was completely unusual, then again, who wouldn't react like that when one of your _friends_ was almost executed? She pulled away and looked at the bloody mess on my clothes with a horrified look. Only after forcing me to take a few gels and wrapping my forehead with bandages, her anguish disappeared. Then, she explained Luke and Ion had requested my liberty since there was no proof that I had helped Van on Luke's disappearance. Although going to the manor was extremely prohibited.

I had asked Van what were his plans with the 'hero'. But he didn't answer, nor did he answer how Jude fell from that cliff or what that medallion was. It looked like Asch's capacity core and that was bugging me. Anyhow, that medallion Van had was the source of all my problems, how did he get something like that? Could my strange artes be linked to that thing?

"Jude?" concern leaked out of Tear's voice.

"Huh?" I looked back at her; I was staring at the floor without even realizing it.

"I asked if you were ok." She repeated. "You've barely say a word."

"I'm just tired; sleeping in a prison cell is no fun." Fake a smile Jude, fake a smile. There we go.

A weak smile tugged from her lips. I looked at the sky as we walked out of the castle; stars and the gleaming fon belt were painted in the black purplish sky, dark grey clouds passing by. "Tear, what hour is it?"

She twisted her lips thoughtfully, "I woke up at three in the morning, it must be half past three now."

"Why so early?"

Tear tossed her arms behind her back and looked at the sky, "Ion was the first one to be notified about the petition been accepted, he was really happy and woke me up. I told him to go back to bed, he looked tired."

I smiled, I wasn't entirely aware that I did. "I'll have to thank Ion and Luke when I see them again." Tear covered her mouth and yawned. "You should go back to sleep as well." I said, stepping back and turning around.

"Huh? Jude, where are you going?" Tear wore a questioning look when I looked over my shoulder.

"I think I need to take a stroll…" I walked away and it was quite surprising that she didn't stop me. It was really hard to act so casual when I had accepted Van's offer. I had accepted taking Tear away with the help of the Oracle Knights, once we get to Akzeriuth.

* * *

><p>I had been walking through the streets for half an hour now. I never thought I'd suffer from vertigo when I got into the aircar, I was afraid of heights, and without the rest of the group as a distraction, it was inevitable. The few town folks that had started their daily tasks would cast frightened looks at me once they noticed the stains of blood on the uniform. I no longer felt comfortable wearing it, wasn't mine after all.<p>

I got to one of the ends of the middle class tier, the sun had started to rise, and countless buildings spread down below me.

I took out the rapier from the sheath; my fingers traced the carved shape of the selenia in the blade, wondering if the sword had meant something to her, because I really liked it. I placed the sword away again, feeling empty, disgusting and stupidly selfish. Disgusting, not because I was a replica, but because I was going to betray them… Even Luke could be better than that, I never looked down at him for being a replica and I was glad I never did.

_***Flash Back***_

"_What if she refuses to come with me?" I asked with abdication. _

_Van explained we wouldn't be executed, he said Luke and the others would be sent to Akzeriuth, something that was apparently written in Yulia's Sixth Fonstone. He didn't explain why or what would happen, the only thing he told me was that the Order of Lorelei had placed a fake 'Seventh Fonstone' there to use it as a decoy._

"_If she does, then you'll have to use force…" He replied, "I'm pretty sure she'll put some fight, but it also depends of how much she trusts you."I frowned; Tear would probably hate me after that. But I wanted to be free. I didn't want those memories anymore. "You can't tell Asch a word about this either."_

"_F-fine… But there are a few things I want to request from you..." He raised a brow; he was definitely not expecting that. "I heard Sync say you would punish Asch for what he did in Choral Castle, please forgive him." He gave me a pitiful smile. "I beg you…Please, forgive him…" My tongue was burning, I wanted to use my rapier and cut it off._

"_All right." He scoffed. A confident look on his face, "Anything else?"_

"_You'll set me free once this is over; you won't see me again after that… If you want, tell them I died." He contemplated the idea for a second and then nodded._

_***Flash Back***_

My gaze was lost, looking down at the lowest quarter of the city, wondering if jumping from here would kill me instantly. But there was no point in dwelling on thoughts like that, even if I was a replica… I wanted to be alive. I liked my name; there were tons of other people with that name and I didn't mind sharing it. Maybe changing my surname and my clothes would be enough; I was even considering dyeing my hair, but who would look for someone that was dead, anyway?

"Well, well, the tacky blue-haired girl, just the person I wanted to see!" I turned around and gave Noir and her gang a deadpan look.

"The name is Jude, what the hell do you want?" Noir, York and Urushi stared at me in silence, dumb expressions on their faces, which was annoying. But I quickly found out they were staring at the bloody mess on my outfit and the bandages around my forehead. I hadn't notice until then, I looked like I had gone to war or to be less dramatic, like I had just found a job like a butcher and had killed my first cow.

"Er…" York began, pointing at me. "Are you…ok?" No.

"I'm fine." I ran my fingers through my hair trying to hide my embarrassment. "You said you wanted to see me, what was that all about?"

"Oh, that's right!" Noir looked at Urushi from over her shoulder."Urushi, the letter."

"Here you go, ma'am." The small penguin man took off his hat and placed a white envelope between Noir's fingers. Noir walked to me and looked at me tentatively for a second, from head to toe. Like she was trying to get to some conclusion to why I was covered in blood.

"It's for you, darling." She said, handing me the letter. "A letter from prince charming~." I took the letter and gave her a quizzical look, just for a second, I thought Pierce had lied to me about not being a thief. "Asch the Bloody." She clarified.

"A-Asch?" I glanced at the envelope like I had a time bomb in my hands. Crap. Crap. Crap.

"Yes, he sent this letter with one of his soldiers. He said to wait until you were alone." Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My hands trembled, that could explain why that soldier ran away when he saw me yesterday. Just what I needed, more blackmailing. Oh, I should have seen this coming, he wouldn't let go without a reasonable explanation to why I was traveling with his replica. Not to mention, his money had been stolen away from me a few hours ago. I was afraid of him for the first time… If he gets to know I'm a replica…

I could picture him saying he had been worried over _nothing_, traveling with a _piece of crap_ that had been bold enough to touch his hair. And that had also, stole away the identity of one of his friends, same as what happened to him. Then again, maybe I was right when I said he never liked Jude when they were little, which meant it would be worst if he ever gets to know I'm a replica.

I pulled myself together, trying to remind myself I had cried a whole night and that I couldn't do it now. I opened the envelope.

_**You are such a pain in the ass, do you know how much you've ruin my plans? Anyway, if you want to come back to me then, join the Dark Wings, they are currently doing a job for me and I'll be meeting them pretty soon. I'm pretty sure you kept your promise about keeping your mouth shut; otherwise, I'll make sure to beat you up myself before cutting your throat.**_

_**Asch**_

Yeah, this was definitely from Asch, he would be the only person to start a letter with '_**You are such a pain in the ass...**_' Also, he is the only person that would show 'concern' and threat at the same time. Seriously, and what's with '_**if you want to come back to me…'**_? Who the hell does he thinks he is?

The Dark Wings probably felt the dark aura coming from me because I could hear them whispering, but I wasn't putting attention to what they were saying. I was busy strangling Asch in my mind while giving him a piece of my damn replicated mind!

"Oh, is something wrong? Lover's quarrel, perhaps?" I glared at Noir, who was smiling cheekily at me. "According to that soldier, you would probably come with us."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I'll pass." I scoffed. "There is no way I'd want to see that idiotic ginger again. Oh, and you can tell him I spent all his money, sold his ring and all that crap. You can tell him I'm-" I bit my tongue before the word 'replica' could come out. I wanted to see him ripping his hair off, but telling the truth was harder than I expected.

York's and Urushi's eyes widened with amusement, like waiting for something big to come out of my mouth, something they could gossip about. Noir was expectant too, but I wasn't planning to say anything else. So, York tried to guess, "Pregnant?"

I felt my face burning and I waved my hands in the air, helplessly. "WHAT? N-No, you've got it wrong!"

"Dear, it's ok. It happens to a lot of people." Noir waved a hand nonchalantly. "Now I see why that guy is going after you, and you both share a passion for blood." She said pointing at my clothes.

"N-No, I-"

"He must have done something really bad if you sold the wedding ring." Urushi mused, mostly to himself.

"We-Wedding ring?" I snapped. "No one said anything about a wedding ring!" They went on babbling about infidelity, domestic violence and the responsibility of having a child.

I groaned and pulled my hair in frustration. "Ah, shut up already! You know what, never mind. Do you have something to write with?" Urushi took out a blue pen from his pocket; I snatched it and used York's back to write a message at the back of Asch's letter. I shoved the letter back into the envelope, gave it to Noir and stormed away. There was no way I'd go back to him, especially because my deal with Van was already settled. What I needed to do now was to take out all the rage I held inside.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, beneath the castle…<p>

The Commandant was still sitting on the stool of his prison cell; he just needed to wait a little bit longer, he thought. Van looked up when the sound of sollerets clapping on the staled cobble floor made it to his ears.

A White Knight came in, Van immediately recognized _him_ as the man that had taken Jude away. How did he know? That particular knight walked and talked in a familiar way. Said Knight, tossed his spear on the floor and rested his back on the metallic door. Van was mildly surprise to see _him_, wandering around like always. "Dressed like a White Knight? You're quite skilled…"

"King Ingobert has really bad security." The man chaffed, crossing his arms. The helmet covered his face but Van would recognize _his_ voice anywhere. "If you think I'm skilled then, you have to see what Jacko can do. He is a total freak."

Van frowned, knowing the person in front of him was being modest; he had seen what this guy was capable of. "Why are you here? I told you to keep your distance."

"You know why." The man said coldly. "We've been playing this game for two years straight, Vandesdelca. Don't tell me you forgot." Van glared at him, he could be annoying sometimes. "Well, I heard you'll be released soon, that's my cue to leave." The man turned on his heel and left the same way he came in, full with confidence. Van was getting sick of having _him_ around…

* * *

><p>Right after leaving a really confused trio behind, I remembered about the dojo Guy had talked about when we were still on the ship. I had asked him to show me a few artes but it had been impossible with his phobia, so he suggested visiting the dojo once we were in the city.<p>

It would be a good way to release all the stress that had built up on my shoulders, plus the training would come in handy. Mr. Miyagi was really nice to show me a few moves to immobilize my opponent, like chokeholds and kicks. Though he didn't show me any arte, he taught me a way to gather fonons quicker and without losing concentration.

To put it in an understandable way, the fon slots in your body are separated in sections. The fon slots in your feet can gather Second (earth) fonons faster than any other part of your body. Fifth (fire) fonons in the front, Fourth (water) fonons at the back, Third (wind) fonons in your arms. And First and Sixth (dark & light) fonons on the shoulders.

If you want to perform an arte of a certain element its faster if you concentrate the fonons at the right part of your body. This way even spells would be easier to perform! The only problem would be remembering the phrases of the incantations.

A few hours had passed; I was practicing fonon gathering and Mr. Miyagi was having a conversation with a guy that had come in not so long ago. While they talked, I wondered if I had understood what being a replica meant or was I just blocking those painful thoughts and trying to act normal? Was I really a perfect copy of Jude? If that was true then, does that meant what I was doing, betraying my friends, was what she would have done?

Does it mean she was as selfish as I was? "I'm not a complete idiot…" I sighed. "…some parts are still missing."

"Haven't you heard the latest news?" I turned around to look at the Mr. Miyagi and the guy he was talking with.

"No, not really." Mr. Miyagi replied. "What happened?"

"Bertha was at the plaza, she heard a Fon Master Guardian say Ion went missing. He had just arrived from Chesedonia." What? "From what there were saying, some circus performers took him away."

'…_**join the Dark Wings, **__**they are currently doing a job for me and I'll be meeting them pretty soon**__**.**__' _

Shit, Asch you idiot! So he knew I'd end up running after him, eh? He is so dead!

I bowed and thanked Mr. Miyagi before bustling out of the dojo and running in a random direction, hoping they would still be in the city. That's when I accidently happened to see Princess Natalia boarding an aircar that descended towards a shabby building.

Where is she going? I looked down resting my hands on the railing. Crap, we are still too damn high! I thought, backing away.

Maybe she could help me find Ion; I bet all the knights would look for him if I ask her. When the aircar came back; I jumped in and pushed the button to turn it on, not daring to look down. When it finally stopped, I looked around and found myself inside an old factory of some sort.

The place was shady and gloomy, the dark-colored metal structures didn't help much either. Only faint rays of sunlight came in from the wind fans above. Fuck, I hate dark places. And what's that weird smell? Oil? I rubbed my nose wiping off the stench of the aged substance. It was one of those stenches it's so strong you can actually taste.

The place reminded me of the underground base of the Order of Lorelei, ladders and stairs, going up and down, dark and annoying as shit. With the difference that this place was infested with bats and salamanders, but I quickly learned stepping on the salamanders' tails always guaranteed a victory. For the bats it was a little bit more complicated, those things moved a lot and their squeaky cries and flapping wings would scare the hell out of me whenever they appeared out of nowhere.

"What the fuck, where did Natalia go?" I spurned looking around at the place. I had climbed three pairs of ladders and there was still no sign of her.

"How vulgar, and its Princess Natalia for you!" I turned around and I was greeted with a fast projectile that I barely dodged. Natalia was up high in the next platform. She was standing on an oil duct, pointing me with another arrow that she hastily took out from her quiver. "Stay where you are, you criminal!"

"W-Wait, Princess. I was released this morning!" I stammered, waving my arms in defeat. I can't go harming nobles and princesses. Ok, maybe nobles are acceptable but princesses are definitely not!

"Lies!" She shouted, and the cord of her bow stiffened as she pushed the arrow's tail astern. "I'll make justice for Luke!"

"Natalia, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Luke's voice ranged from one of the platforms below us; behind him were Tear, Guy, Anise, Jade and Mieu.

"Please, come down your Highness, it's too dangerous!" Guy begged.

"She was trying to kill me!" Natalia spat looking back at her fiancée. "She wants to take Luke away from me!" Oh, great, a paranoid princess.

"She does?" Anise yelled giving me a baleful look. Oh, great an angry Anise.

"What? You have to be fucking kidding me! I just wanted to ask her if she could help me find Ion!" I was losing my patience.

"Come down Natalia, this is no place for a spoiled little girl!" Look who's talking! Yes, I do consider Luke a 'spoiled little girl'.

"Can everybody stop shouting?" Tear yelled covering her ears. For a few minutes, everyone was shouting at each other, Luke and Guy were telling Natalia to come down but she refused, Anise was throwing insults at me and I returned them gladly, Tear was shouting about everyone shouting while Mieu and Jade watched, the latter looked amused as always.

"Ah, it's so nice to see everyone is getting so well." Jade mused and everyone glared at me.

Then, we heard a loud 'snap'. The sound came from above, we stared in horror as the oil duct Natalia was standing on, broke. She slipped and descended, unintentionally, using the duct like a slider. Luke was quick and caught her before she could hit the floor. I heaved a sigh, Lorelei that was close!

Natalia was more than happy that Luke had saved her. And Luke looked like he had regretted doing it.

Everyone tried to convince the princess to go back to the castle but it was hopeless. I ignored the rest of the conversation; I wasn't interested in begging and getting insulted instead.

"I overheard you talking with Dorian General Grants beneath the castle…" Natalia's words caught my attention, she was talking to Luke.

Luke pulled her away from us to have a private conversation with her, which earned him weird looks from everybody. Unfortunately, I couldn't just go and eavesdrop so; I concentrated on the others to fill me in as concerned to the recent events.

Just as Van said, they were heading to Akzeriuth. There is a poison called miasma that is leaking into Akzeriuth and Malkuth asked Kimlasca to save the citizens from their side of the road. It was Luke's divine task to go and investigate what was going on. Does this have to do with what Van told him about hyperresonance and being a hero? I'd have to find out by myself.

According to Jade, Sync was blocking the entrance to the city and it was impossible to get out. So, our heroic Commandant board on the decoy ship to 'distract' them. Hold on; so Van was actually saying the truth when he said the Six-God Generals were on Moh's side, back at Kaitzur…?

In any case, Luke and the others were trying to look for a way to get out when they found out that the Dark Wings kidnapped Ion and took him out of the city. Then, they came to the abandoned factory since we could get out of the city from here. Luke and Natalia finished chitchatting, which was for the worst because Natalia would come with us anyway. Seeing that there was no other option than taking Natalia with us, we kept going.

No one questioned why I was going along with them; I guess it was Van's doing, he probably used my 'memory problem' as a reason for me to stay close to Tear. Although Natalia didn't seem quite pleased with my company, even when they explained her it had been a misunderstanding. I was glad no one commented about yesterday's commotion, I guess they knew it was something I didn't want to remember.

"Hey, Luke, thanks for …you know, helping me…em… yeah, thanks." I avoided visual contact with everyone, especially Natalia and Anise.

"Oh, what?" Luke looked away and waved a hand dismissively, "Shut up, it was nothing! We are even now." Oh, that's right I did save him when Dist attacked. "Mother told me I meet you when I was little, taking you out of there would have been impossible without her… She wanted to see you…"

"O-Oh…" It made me feel terrible. "But, they won't let me into the manor."

"What did you do anyway? I had never seen Father so angry?" He mused, "He didn't want to tell me."

"I-I wish I knew…" Oh, misery. Don't start crying now! I rubbed my eyes casually; just to make sure the tears wouldn't come out.

We found more monsters in the way. Thank Yulia I was with the others, because the number of monsters increased, I spent most of the time running away from those damn salamanders trying to bite my legs. Sometimes they would aim for the tails of my coat and I'd have to turn around or grab my coat before they could get any closer. Unfortunately, what Mr. Miyagi taught me was to immobilize humans, not monsters!

At least I was a good decoy; Natalia would take them out in one shot. That made me realize she could have killed me with a single arrow. I'll have to be careful around her…

Hours had passed and we were still in the god damn factory. Moving drums here and there, turning on the oil machines and fighting monsters had worn us out. The oily stench had stick to our clothes and our feet were starting to ache from going up and down while Jade 'supervised'.

I wanted to get out of that place so badly, but it seemed to be endless, instead we would found more platforms, ladders, fontech machines and oil to burn, it was the same cycle, over and over again. However, Natalia wasn't making it any more pleasant. She didn't want us to call her princess, but she would still act like one. You could feel the tension in the group, worst of all, Jade seemed to be enjoying all of this.

We had just come out from the last aircar, when a stronger smell kicked in.

I covered my nose and frowned. "Ugh, who was it?" I scowled, looking around.

"Ewww, I can taste it!" Luke whined sticking out his tongue.

Anise wrinkled her nose, "It smells greasy."

"Maybe it's from when the factory was running?" Guy muse, "No it's too strong for that…"

"Wait!" Tear took a fighting stance. "I hear something. Is something there?"

"I don't hear anything." Natalia looked back.

"No, there is definitely something here." Jade warned. "A monster?" None of us waited for an answer and took out our weapons. Tear was the first one that saw _it_.

"Look out!" Tear pushed Natalia out of the oily monster's way. A hug spider covered in a greasy substance jumped from above and landed a few feet away from us.

"Just what we needed!" I groaned as my hand wrapped around the hilt of _her_ rapier, ready for battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Uh, uhhh! I intended to get to Asch's part at least, but I had to stop right there because I didn't remember about Mr. Spider.<strong>

**So, yeah.**

**Pierce: Please leave a comment ladies! I promise I'll reply!**

**HappyStab: U.U  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Bruises

**Hello! Yay, chapter 11! Ok, first of all. **

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!**

**1)I said the story's theme song would change and here it is, I'll be changing it every 10 chapters, which means the next songs will come out in chapters, 21, 31, 41 and so on. I had this idea before i started this story, why am I sharing this with you? Because you can help me pick those songs through the whole story, if you find a song (doesn't matter, english or japanese.) that fit with what is happening in the story, you can pm and tell me the song, or in a review or through my new deviantart account. So, yeah, you have 9 more chapters to help me pick up the next song! I know, it's a silly idea but hey, it was MY silly idea.**

**So, this chapter's song is Kaidoku by Jinn, I just thought it reflect Jude's feelings! CG has amazing OP songs but and this one fit so well!**

**2)I made a deviantart account! The link is in my profile, you'll find a draw of Jude made by me (with C.C's modified costume) and (edit-) NOW, Pierce Viants as well. You might think it's uncreative to give her that outfit and that appearance but don't worry, it won't be forever. And I'll be doing more draws as well, Pierce and the rest of my characters.**

**3)DudeoftheMasterSword: Sorry, I didn't reply last chapter. Thank you, I'm really happy that you like this story and that I can make you feel the emotions! Oh, those god damn emotions! :p**

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The dream that I dreamed<br>Was endlessly distant  
>The blue sky of the desiccated days are in my hand<p>

Trial and error within fixed intervals of sound  
>A space without time or dimensions<br>I'll make a life-sized sound  
>And make up my face<br>Beautifully, on only one side.

A half-rotted apple  
>Fell into my hand<br>Even our other sides are reflected in the mirror.

Trial and error within fixed intervals of sound  
>A space without time or dimensions<br>I'll make a life-sized sound  
>And make up my face<br>Beautifully, even now...

Trial and error within distant human sensations  
>A space without time or dimensions<br>I'll bare my claws at the support for my head and body  
>And shave off my face<br>Beautifully, on only one side.

-A distant sensation.  
>-Life sized.<p>

Kaiduko Funou by Jinn (translated lyrics)

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: Bruises<p>

The giant, oily spider attacked right away, a few jumps back and I was right on the edge of the platform. Damn it, there was little space to fight that thing, which meant we had to take it out quickly, otherwise one of us could end up falling into the abysmal limbo beneath us.

We had a hard time fighting it, despite its great size; the spider would easily dodge our attacks. Something you can expect from a creature that has eight legs, of course. Which is why I aimed for its extremities, but I wasn't able to even touch it. Not even Natalia, who could shoot arrows with the speed of a gun, could hit the creature.

The only ones that could deliver damage successfully were Tear, Jade and Anise with their arcane artes. The stupid spider was turning to be a pain in the ass to Guy, Luke, Natalia and me, not only because it was quick dodging, but also quick when taking the offensive.

It was until Luke used his secondary weapon, aka Mieu, that things started to look brighter. And when I say brighter, I mean looking at a giant spider covered in flames and twisting in pain.

Many questions popped in my mind as the spider staggered and fell off of the platform. First, what the fuck? Second, we've been setting oil on fire for about two and a half hours and NO ONE, but Luke came with that idea? Well, at least he used Mieu's ability instead of throwing him around.

Of all things, I felt slightly stupid. Which must have crossed everyone else's mind as well, because no one said anything or did anything, we just stood there.

I was the first one that reacted; I walked all the way to Luke and pushed myself up with my toes to pat him on the head, a little too hard. "Good work, Lucky!" I love teasing this guy.

Luke limited himself to glare and walked toward the others. Natalia crossed her arms not feeling happy about that either, I guess she doesn't like people that look upon her fiancé like a puppy. She ignored what happened and thanked Tear for saving her, which I must say, none of us was expecting.

After that, we realized we had found an emergency exit. We went down the metallic ladder, one by one. Natalia told Guy to catch her if she fell, but we all knew that was impossible for him, still and all, no one commented about it.

The first ones to go down were Luke and Natalia. Because we all know ladies always go first!

I was the third one to join them down there; I turned to the field when my feet touched the floor again. That's when I petrified, rain started to fall from the livid clouds in the sky, perfect timing…

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. The Tartarus, the oh-so-mighty landship that had once belonged to the Malkuth Empire stood before us. Oracle Knights were visible on the deck and a few feet away from us as well. But that's not what caused my petrifaction. The glimpse of vivid red hair, cardinal red to be exact, was incriminating. No, I wasn't talking about Luke, who was right beside me, in the same state I was.

We could only see _his_ back, Asch's back. He was talking to a knight and that's when my eyes caught another familiar color, forest green. The knight Asch was talking with was accompanied by Ion. And before I could reorganize my brain, Luke dashed toward them.

"Hand over Ion, NOW!" Luke, the hero, shouted. And I panicked.

"L-Luke, wait!" I ran after him. Stop it, stop it, you idiot! You are about to screw up your life! You are going to screw my pl-

Luke's battle roar called Asch's attention, Luke took out his sword and Asch was able to block it with his just in time. I wasn't able to see Luke's expression when he saw the face of his original, but I noticed his body stiffened.

"It's YOU!" Asch pushed his blade further to get some distance between them. I had stopped running when they faced each other and now I could hear the others approaching, shouting _their _name, followed by gasps when they were close enough to notice the similarities.

For a split of a second, I had this weird feeling that I had failed Asch, I never told Luke the truth, but I couldn't help but feel that way. That I should have tackled him at least, or…I don't know…something. But no, I was too scared; too scared he would notice something was wrong if he looked into my eyes. Had I changed? I was so stupid I got to think he would read my mind. Stupid Jude, Stupid!

I barely noticed I was all wet, the rain had intensified in the couple of seconds that had just passed by. The only reason I noticed was because Asch and Luke were wet as well. Not even the cold droplets splashing on my skin had been able to make me come to my senses.

Asch looked at me and the only thing I could do was to look at Jade, he must have read my features when I looked into his eyes because he frowned. 'I tried.'

Liar.

I looked back to Asch, a questioning look on his face. Probably because I was still covered in blood, the dried stains had melted down with the rain. Then, I heard Sync's voice, I couldn't catch what he said but I was able to find him standing on the staircase of the Tartarus's main gate, Ion was beside him.

The knights that I had seen wandering around had rushed into the land ship. "I know!" Asch growled glancing at Sync. He turned to Luke and mumbled something before running to the land ship.

_Ion gave me a sweet smile. 'I'm sure you'll realize how special you are, with or without your memories.'_

As soon as my brain refreshed those words, a primitive instinct took over me and pushed away my common sense. I ran after him and he ran faster when he noticed, also because the Tartarus had started to move. I heard the others yelling at me, telling me to go back, but stopping was out of my reach in that moment. Ion. Ion. Ion.

Asch jumped and landed on the land ship's staircase, he turned around pulling his hair away from his face. "Are you fucking crazy?" He hissed, "Go back with the others!"

I ran faster to reduce the distance between the staircase and me; I was not going to fail Ion, not him! I jumped and landed the way Asch did, though I had to crouch to reduce the impact and wrapped my hands around the bars of the railing to avoid falling back.

I was going to stand up, but the sharp sound of a blade being unsheathed made me stop. My eyes met the tip of Asch's sword when I looked up. A dead serious expression on his face, "Big, big mistake..."

* * *

><p>Asch ignored the girl's protests as he dragged her all the way to the deck of the land ship. She was whining about her sword being confiscated for the third time, which by the way, was now strapped around his waist.<p>

He didn't care about that, nor did he care why she was covered in blood, at least not now. He was heading to the strategy room but Jude wasn't cooperating, trying to get free from the tight grip he had over her arm.

The Dark Wings had left a few minutes before the dreck and his bunch of followers appeared, the trio had told him everything Jude said. They told him about spending all his money and selling the ring he gave her, a present from his mother, his beloved mother. To make everything worst, he had read Jude's message, the one she wrote behind his letter.

The message was clear and simple, only two oversized words were written at the back of the page: _**FUCK OFF**_, just beside the message, a terrible doodle of herself flipping the bird.

Asch was looking for some privacy to start shouting and asked her if she was stupid or just out of her freakin' mind.

"Hey, are you even listening?" Jude yelled, trying to match Asch's strength unsuccessfully. "What do you want with Ion?" Her too loud reproaches were now calling the attention of whomever passed by.

Asch pulled her violently and looked at her in the eye. "Shut the fuck up!" He had finally lost his patience with her, at his point he just wanted to kick her in the ass. He was getting sick of worrying over a worthless, annoying girl that couldn't even remember him.

Those four words made her flinch, and now she was staring into his eyes with fear, shock and a little bit of indignation. Not so far away from them, Largo and Sync were escorting Ion as well. Every person within a ten feet radius was looking at the young couple; both God-Generals and the Fon Master were included.

Asch yelled, oblivious that they had an audience. "Is it true? Is it true that you sold MY ring?" Jude was too shocked to say anything and Asch shook her, "You sold it? Tell me, god damn it!"

She looked away and opened her mouth, but she closed it again as soon as she noticed they were being watched. All traces of fear vanished and were replaced with a cold smile. "Yes, I sold it."

Now it was Asch's turn to be shocked, he was hoping everything had been a joke, a sick stupid joke. But the cold smile was still there, plastered in her face. Her next words didn't make it any better.

"I thought I would get more gald selling trash like that, I didn't get much." Jude shrugged indifferently.

"You…do you have any idea of much that 'trash' meant to me?" He growled, and Jude felt his nails digging on her flesh beneath his gloves. Still, she kept smirking.

"Not enough for me to care." She mocked brushing his arms away, and got close enough to whisper into his ear. "Poor Luke fon Fabre can't let go his past? You are pathetic…"

Asch was speechless, he never expected her to say that and less of all, he hadn't expected her to get so close to him. He wasn't exactly sure which of the two reasons made him feel weak. Wait, what was he thinking?

Jude was unsatisfied with his reaction and continued whispering, "You never had what was needed to be king anyway, and that's why you were replaced by someone better than you." She scoffed. "Your family is better off without you."

Asch's gaze was lost in time, hearing her words; he was probably reminded of something Van told him, something similar. That's when rage had finally started building up inside him.

"I would never have been your friend if I had known you were such a miserable and worthless human being."Jude stepped away and this time, she wasn't whispering anymore, "Asch wants to cry?" Everyone was expectant to what Asch would do. "I think everyone you love is trash!"

Now he was shaking with anger and Jude smiled as soon as she found his weak spot.

"Oh, what is it, Asch, you need your mommy?" Jude laughed placing a hand close to her ear. The audience could feel the tension and were now whispering and gasping behind them.

"What the hell is she doing?" Sync questioned without taking off his eyes from the couple, he knew what was coming. Despite the question, Largo just stared at them, he knew what Jude was doing. Ion intended to stop this at once but Largo lay a strong and heavy hand over his shoulder to keep him in place.

"Jude, please stop this!" Ion cried, knowing Jude's life was in danger. But Jude ignored him.

"Don't you-"

"I think your mother-"

"dare-"

"-is a filthy-"

"-talk about Mother!"

Before anyone could blink, Asch the Bloody was living up to his title and delivering a blow after another. Sync was in shock while Largo wore a pitiful look. Ion was trying to get out of his grip, tears running down his youthful face as he saw how Asch was ripping Jude apart. Or from Asch's perspective, ripping Van apart.

Just as Largo expected, Jude didn't try to dodge any of his attacks, and most of them went to her stomach and shoulders.

_'Good times never last forever. You have enough good memories, count your blessings.'_

Those words echoed inside Asch's head. Van knew nothing about him; Asch always thought Van was the shadow of what his father should have been. A true father figure. He wanted to make Van proud of him, something he never accomplished with Duke Fabre.

'Good times never last forever…' How could he say that when he took away all the little things that made him happy? 'You have enough good memories…' Asch couldn't agree with that, ten years of good memories wouldn't be enough for anyone, especially when there was not even a future for him.

Asch abandoned the thought of what a father should have been, just the way _they _abandoned him.

Blinded by rage and tears, he punched and punched until Jude's body hit the floor; the blood in her uniform could make anyone believe she was dead. As he cleared his head, he realized what he had done and the former Luke fon Fabre stopped breathing for a full minute.

Finally, Jude rolled onto her side and coughed some blood. Asch stared at her, still horrified, watching as she staggered to her feet.

Blood was dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her hair was a mess and covered her eyes. Asch's hands were shaking. "Jude, I-I wasn't…I didn't-"

She ignored him, and dragged her feet towards him as she reached for something in her pocket. Asch flinched when Jude placed her hand on the side of his neck and rested her chin on his opposite shoulder, seeking for support.

She was breathing heavily and Asch could feel his heart racing faster. He had hurt her, how did it happen?

He finally came back to his senses when he felt her fingers brushing gently on his palm. Their fingers tangled for a few seconds and he could fell something pressing between their palms. Her hand slipped out of his, and he looked down to see what was now resting on his palm, his ring, the one Mother gave him.

Once again, Asch was speechless; Jude's shoulders started to dithered and a soft choking sound escaped her lips. "You should visit your mother some time. I've heard she is a really kind person…" Her voice was soft and weak.

Jude coughed again and Asch secured a hand over her arm. "I-I guess… I'm actually your bitch after all…" Her voice cracked.

Earlier than expected, her body melted down and Asch had to hold her to prevent her from falling on her side. He found a weak smile curled on her lips when he looked at her face; her eyes were going in and out of focus, fighting against her eyelids.

"W-why?" Asch choked shaking his head with skepticism.

Jude mildly shook her head, from left to right. "It's ok. I'll… shut up… now…" She closed her eyes and fell asleep…

* * *

><p>I groaned in pain as Largo helped me sit on a chair, inside Asch's room, or at least the room he took possession of. I gave the Black Lion a pained smile; I had lost consciousness for just a few minutes after what happened with Asch. When I woke up, Asch asked Largo to <em>please <em>take me to his room without even looking at me.

I was ready to argue about his decision since I wanted to go wherever they took Ion. But my body hurt too much, only a grunt came out of my mouth, too tired to move my jaw. It was awkward to see relief on Asch's face when Largo pulled me up effortlessly and dragged me all the way to his room.

"Here you go." Largo handed me a plastic bag full of ice that he gladly stole from the kitchen of the land ship.

"Thanks." I smirked, placing the bag on my right upper arm; I frowned as the icy sensation burned my skin, but the tingle faded as I started to lose sensitivity in that area. "How come I'm not in a prison cell?"

Largo walked across the room and sat on Asch's bed. "You are going to help the Commandant, am I correct?" I nodded.

"But Asch doesn't kn-"

"He doesn't have to." He replied in a soothing tone. "That's why you wanted him to harm you?"

"I just thought I deserved it, I'm going to betray him after all…" My gaze locked on the wooden floor for a moment. "When I saw all those knights looking at us, I knew it would be perfect, a traitor needs to be humiliated."

He looked at me with a pondering look. "For your own peace of mind?"

I bit my lip thoughtfully. "When I found out what I was…I-" I paused to reorganize my thoughts. "I realized Asch never took all that rage out, you know, the rage he held all this years against Van."

"I see…" The Lion crossed an arm and scratched his beard. "I had never seen such honorable action in my entire life as a soldier. You probably have more courage than any of the knights in this ship."

I chuckled, "I wouldn't call it courage. 'Resignation' is a better word to describe it." I took the ice bag and placed it on top of my left shoulder.

"Still, you've impressed a lot of people. But tell me…" He paused and stood up. "You realize you may die in Akzeriuth, don't you?"

"I have thought about it…" I closed my eyes. "If it's not Jade then, maybe Van won't keep his promise of letting me go…"

"So, you know what you may face there." He said, mostly talking to himself.

"Yeah, I'm not planning to die though." I opened my eyes and glanced at him. He nodded and head for the door. "Largo, wait."

"What is it?"

"What do you think is Asch doing now?" I asked, playing with my thumbs.

He cupped his chin thoughtfully. "He's in the strategy room with Sync, making plans for our next destination. Though I doubt he'll be able to concentrate with what happened outside. I assume he might feel guilty in some way."

"I guess I didn't think about that. Don't tell him about what I told you ok?" He nodded and walked out closing the door behind him. Ok Jude, there's no way to turn back now; you didn't make him kick your ass for nothing.

I stood up and groaned as I straightened my back. Damn, Asch hits hard. I turned around; there was another door at the right side, a bathroom I supposed. I looked at my clothes again and sniffed my arm. Ugh, I need a bath urgently!

I kicked off my boots and took off my coat. I stared at it for a while before throwing it to the floor with a huff; I hated having to wear it. I took off the rest of my clothes and bandages placing them over the chair; I entered the bathroom and locked the door…

* * *

><p>Asch rubbed his forehead and frowned without taking his eyes off the map, he was supposed to be listening to Sync's explanation about their next check point, but all he heard was blah blah blah. That function of his brain had been shut down by a certain blue-haired beauty.<p>

Asch nodded when Sync pointed a location on the map. Hell, he didn't know what the younger God-General was talking about, but he still did anyway. What the hell was happening to him…? No, what the hell was happening to Jude? Why did she want him to hit her?

Apparently, she had found out they had been friends…

Also, she knew about that rumor that had been going on, he had heard about it some time ago. He heard about it in the Oracle ship, but he thought it was best to avoid telling her. She would have tried to stay away from him if she had heard and…and…and…and he didn't want that, did he?

His mind started to wander off, back to when he was eight…

_The prominent sun shined in front of them and the rays bathe the city. The sky, clouds and even the sea had acquired amazing tinges of yellow. The shades went from saffron to ivory to amber and then to gold, a cast of beautiful sunny colors in display. Baticul wasn't called the 'Capital of Light' for nothing._

_An eight year old Jude ran over the turf. She came to an end when her feet reached the edge of the cliff. Right behind her gaited, a not so excited, Luke fon Fabre sighed. 'At least she didn't trip this time.' he thought, as he approached her._

_Jude admired the splendorous view, her blue eyes gleaming with the light. "Luke, it's…it's …it's… just wow."_

_Luke grinned and sat on the edge; Jude mimicked him and sat by his side, licking her oversized rainbow lollipop. "I was bored one day and took a stroll to the outskirts of the city, this is what I found."_

_Jude glanced at him and blinked a couple of times, "Your parents know you come here?"_

"_Nope." He smiled arrogantly, but faded quickly. "Don't tell them, ok? I can't go out of the city."_

"_Don't worry, I won't tell them." Jude chirped swinging her legs. "I'm afraid of your dad, anyway. Guy knows?"_

_Luke shook his head, "He'd go crazy if he finds out. Maybe I'll bring Natalia when she comes back."_

"_Too bad she isn't here; I would've liked meeting her." Jude smiled impishly and nabbed Luke's cheek. "Luke wants to kiss her~!"_

"_Oww." Luke brushed her hand away and rubbed his cheek. "Kiss a girl? That's gross!" He said, but a faint blush crept on his cheeks, he knew it was true..._

Asch's head trip was interrupted when Sync smashed a fist on the table. "Asch!" The daydreamer jolted and looked at Sync. The green-haired God-General raised an eyebrow, but Asch wasn't able to see it, of course. It was the first time Sync had seen insecurity and confusion in the eyes of 'the Bloody.'

Sync ran a hand through his untamed hair. "You are thinking about her, aren't you?"

Asch's features fixed back to normal. "No, I was thinking about something else..." He huffed and pulled the map closer to his face. But no matter how much he tried to focus on whatever he was supposed to do, Jude kept popping in his head. He had never thought about her as more than a friend. He…he…he loves Natalia. Then why…

Sync looked over the map. There was so much intensity on the redhead's eyes, that for a second, Sync thought he would burn the map with them.

"Ah hah." Sync replied with skepticism. Asch glanced back at him, this time with a glare. Sync snatched the map from his hands and placed it on the table. "Like I was saying, we'll get down here and walk all the way to the Zao Ruins." He remarked with a little bit of annoyance, pointing at the green dot on the map.

Asch heard what he said this time, "Yeah, it's better to keep the Tartarus out of sight. Behind the mesa it'll be just fine." Sync nodded and marked an 'X' in the spot Asch pointed out. After discussing about how their mission would take place, both God- Generals head to their rooms respectively…

* * *

><p>I stepped out of the shower feeling fresh and clean, draining out my hair and twisting it between my fingers. Then, I wrapped a towel around my head and a second one around my body. At least I don't smell funny now!<p>

I unlocked the door and twisted the knob to open it. Just after stepping out of the bathroom, I realized something was wrong. My clothes, the ones I had left over the chair, were gone. What the- Where are my clothes?

I looked around frantically, but there was no sign of them. Oh, Yulia, this can't be happening! I entered the bathroom again just to make sure I hadn't left them there. But nope, I was positive I had left them over that damn chair! I came out of the bathroom again. What if someone comes i-

The door to the hall, opened! Worst of all, it was Asch! We stared at each other for a split of a second followed by an imminent blush that crept over our faces. I always thought I would scream if something like this ever happened to be, but nothing came out of my mouth instead, I froze. Asch was the first one to come back to his senses. He closed the door behind him, glancing away with an agonizing look on his face; the redness on his face wouldn't go away.

"Whe-Where are my clothes?" I stammered, making sure the towel around my body was secured.

"I took them to the laundry room." He said, looking me from the corner of his eye. "They were covered with blood." I was about to suffer brain death, killing him before that sounded like a wonderful idea.

"Y-you WHAT?" My voice raised about three octaves. "Bring them back! I have nothing else to wear, you moron!" The only reason I wasn't strangling him now was because I was making sure the towel covered my private parts.

He snorted. "I know…" My mouth dropped open, the way he said it was definitely not a good sign. And the blush on my face intensified.

"W-what?" I choked, taking a step back.

He turned his head to face me and he frowned when he noticed a bruise on my right shoulder. "Take off that towel."I choked on my own saliva and coughed.

"Excuse me?" He took a step forward and I took another step back. "Y-you pervert! Get away from me!"

"Look, I don't have time for this!" The blush in his face deepened as well. He continued in a softer, more awkward tone. "I…I want to see what I did to you!"

There was determination in his eyes and I stepped away a third time and bumped on the wall. Why is the room getting smaller now? I started to panic inside my head, my heart was beating faster and faster and the fresh, cold feeling the bath I'd taken had left in my body was being overcome by the heat of my body.

"I'm not gonna molest you or anything. I just want to see how badly I hurt you." He continued and walked towards me, I instinctively squeezed my back on the wall. No, no, no, no, no, no.

Asch's eyes widened and he paralyzed, he was staring at my neck. And I felt a droplet of water sliding in that same spot, from the side of my neck, all the way down to my bre- Oh Yulia! I brushed the drop away. I had reached my limit. I snatched the vase that was over the bed table.

"Stay away, I'm warning you!" I threatened, holding the vase over my head, ready to attack. "You better bring me some clothes before something happens to you!" But he decided not to listen and he grabbed my wrist pulling me closer, his body was tensed. I screamed and squeezed my eyes as I threw the vase toward him. Stupid Jude, how were you going to hit him if you close your eyes?

Just as expected, the vase didn't even touched him, it crashed against the wall. But that wasn't the worst part, when I threw it; I slipped and fell forward, taking Asch with me. He was caught off guard and fell back, me on top of him. The motion catapulted the towel that was wrapped on my head through the air and my damped hair fell in place.

His arms were wrapped around me, probably to keep me from hurting myself further, but neither of us had realized what had happened yet. I shook my head and pulled myself off his chest with a grunt. That's when I met his green eyes and it took us a couple of seconds to realize how we had ended up like that and also that our faces were just a few inches away from each other.

Our eyes widened at the same time, looking into each other's eyes and we blushed madly. He unwrapped his arms in a flash and I jumped to my feet. Asch staggered to his feet, he kept his head bowed, and his hair was all over his face.

"Asch I- I'm sorry, it- it was my fault. YEAH, I- well-" I stumbled on my words but he raised a hand to make me stop babbling. His head was still low.

"I'll… I'll go get you some clothes…" He mumbled, too soft I barely heard. I nodded dumbly. He turned on his heel; from the way he dragged his feet and teetered I thought he was going to fall flat on his face. He opened the door and closed it behind him.

The moment he left the room I was able to relax a bit, not fully though. What had happened a couple of seconds ago was still swirling around my head. The awkwardness of the entire situation had worn me out and I plopped down on his bed.

My eyes drifted to the broken pieces of the vase, some of the pieces had flown all the way to the bathroom's entrance. I'm officially a disaster, I thought, smacking my head with my palm. I wondered how Asch was feeling now. Probably, just as embarrassed as I felt, but he asked for it! He wanted to…wanted to...see if I was ok. The thought of it made me blush again.

Of course, I wasn't going to let him see me. The impulsive way he wants to do things creates this type of situations, and they can only end in awkwardness. He could have just asked if I had more bruises…which I did.

The door opened, Asch came in and closed the door behind him again. Apparently, he had managed to regain his composure when he left because his usual 'don't-talk-to-me' face was there. A small pile of clothes on his hands. I forced a smile, snatched the pile away and shut the bathroom's door behind me before he could say anything.

I rested my back on the door for a few seconds; my heart was beating faster again, which was weird because I was no longer in _that_ situation. The moment Asch came in, it had gone crazy again, drumming against my chest. I shook off those thoughts off my brain and look down at the garments resting on my hands; I unfolded them to inspect them.

White undergarments, a white tank top and a pair of pine green trousers with small bags everywhere. The color reminded me of Jade's uniform. My beloved Jade, I miss you!

If I was correct, the trousers were part of some sort of military uniform, Malkuth uniform. Or at least that's what I thought. To tell the truth, I didn't like them, I don't know why. But hey, at least they were comfortable. I could use them like pajamas.

I walked out of the bathroom with my new pajamas and acted like nothing had happened, thought I was fighting inward to keep myself from hyperventilating. Asch was lying on his bed, his arms were tucked underneath his head and he was looking at the ceiling like he wanted to start a fight with it. I cleared my throat and his eyes scrolled to my direction. His expression reduced to a cold stare.

"Thanks for the clothes." I said, tucking my arms behind my back. His eyes flicked back to the ceiling like I had said nothing. Ok, I really don't get this guy, he is all worried one second and next he is acting like a douche bag, is he bipolar or what?

I plopped down on the chair and leaned forward to rest my head on my hands, a sulk on my face. I noticed he had unfastened his and my sword and were now leaning on the wall, next to the bed. Asch noted I was looking at them.

"Don't even think about it." He barked, giving me a glare. I huffed and rolled my eyes; I knew making Asch mad again wouldn't bring anything good, I knew it wouldn't make me feel sinless this time.

Asch rolled onto his side to face me, the motion managed to release his medallion from its imprisonment between his clothes and chest. My body tensed automatically as it swung like a pendulum.

"Are you ok?" His question made me glance away from the accessory.

"I'm fine." I lied; panic was building up inside me again and I fidget with a strand of my hair. I was afraid of the memories, the pain… Could Asch's medallion do the same? Asch's eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you sure? You're very pale." He jumped off the bed and I jolted. He raised a brow suspiciously.

"I'm… It's just…" Come on, Jude! Think of something! Lie, just lie! "I'm feeling a little bit dizzy. I think getting new bandages for my head would be a good idea." Good.

He crossed his arms, "I forgot to ask you, but how did you get injured? There was a lot of blood on your uniform." Oh, crap. Lie, lie again!

"Dist the Ranter's fault. He attacked us when we were heading to Baticul." I'm getting good at this. Apparently, that sounded convincing to him. He walked to his drawer, took out some bandages, and turned to look at me.

"Maybe I should-" But he started to wrap the bandages around my forehead. "O-kay, you are already doing it..." I complained, trying not to sound nervous.

His hands moved quickly and then, he pulled away, he was definitely trying to avoid as much contact as possible. I don't blame him, the reason I wanted to do it myself was the same. Neither of us were comfortable with what happened not so long ago. But then, why did he still do it?

"T-thanks," I stammered. Again, he ignored my gratitude and strapped his belt and mine. He then, unsheathed his sword and pointed me with it. I glared at him.

"I'll take you to another room, you'll share it with Ion. Now, get up." He said, sharply. I stood up and scowled before turning around. I opened the door and step outside followed by him.

"We are going left; walk until I tell you to stop."He ordered grabbing my shoulder from behind. I growled but followed his orders.

Now I was wondering, who had ordered capturing Ion? I do remember Anise saying Mohs was really mad when Ion disappeared. But, weren't the God-Generals in Mohs's side? Hell, I'm not sure what to think now, Van or Mohs? Just what the hell do those guys want?

Asch poked me on the back with the tip of his sword. I turned my head.

"Hey!" I scowled.

"You were walking too fast." He protested with a burlesque smile on his face.

"You are unbelievable." I hissed, walking slower and he snorted. He didn't have to tell me to stop; there was a door that was being guarded by two oracle knights. That's were Ion must be. And I was right.

The knights stepped away from the room as we approached. Asch looked at the knights.

"Beware of this girl; she is likely to cause troubles." He explained and I crossed my arms. The knights answered with the typical 'Yes, sir!' phrase. Asch unlocked the door and pushed me inside before shutting the door behind me. A 'click' sound that came from the other side of the door announced that he had locked the door again.

But I stopped caring when Ion rushed to my side.

"Jude! I was so worried!" He claimed. "What Asch did to you- Are you ok?"

I patted him on the head, "Don't worry. I'm fine." I smiled and he smiled back. There were two beds in the room, I sat on one of them and Ion sat beside me.

"What about you, did you get hurt?" I asked. He shook his head from left to right.

"Jude?" I looked at him when he called out. "You…what happened with Asch was-"

"Please don't tell anyone." I interrupted. "At least, don't tell _them_ it was him." I begged, I was talking about Tear and the others.

"Ok…" He replied, but he didn't look comfortable with that.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I provoked him, it was my fault." I was ashamed that he had to presence something like that. I really was.

"Something isn't right, is it?" There was a downhearted tone in his voice. My smile weakened, he knew I wouldn't tell him and it was better that way.

"Nothing is Ion… Nothing is…"

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><p><strong>Ahhhhhh! Angsty! XP<strong>

**Please, review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Zao Ruins

Hello! Yay! 243 persons read this story last month! Thanks, guys! Though I would appreciate if you could review, your opinion is important and hey, I may get some ideas from you guys! :P

Also, thanks to the people that has started sending me songs, you can send as many songs you want.

**DudeoftheMasterSword: I appreciate your support! Also, I love how Largo turned out, I was afraid he would be ooc or something!**

**Rollee: Yay, new reviewer! I'm really glad you mentioned that actually! I did mention I didn't know the main character of TOX was going to be called Jude in one of my author's notes. I was surprised to find "Jude" was a unisex name, I fell in love with it after that, especially because I was looking for a name that Namco Bandai hadn't used yet. *facepalm* But anyway, I'm really sorry for Jude Mathis since I'm going to call him Lelouch instead. XD**

Hopefully, I'll be writing my ToV fic by the time TOX makes its first appearance here in FF and this story will already have ended.

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><p>Chapter 12: Zao Ruins<p>

A sand dune landscape surrounded us; I covered my face with an arm when the wind blew sand upon our faces. As expected in a desert, the heat was intolerable and the waves of this heat were lucid to our eyes, distorting the panorama.

I glanced at Ion with concern; the climate was certainly deteriorating his fragile condition. His face was pale and bored a decrepit look. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders when he almost fell to his side.

"We need to stop," I began. "Ion isn't feeling too well." Asch and Largo glanced at Sync, the leader of the party, who turned around and considered the distance between us and the ruins. We were at least a few hours away from them.

Sync the Tempest grunted. "Fine, just a few minutes. There is still a long way to go."

"I'm so sorry to be a burden." Ion sighed. I forced him to sit down and took out a canteen out of my bag.

"There is nothing you should feel sorry for…" I said, giving Asch a dirty look. He turned around and plopped down on the tip of a dune, facing the other way around. My rapier was still in his power, hanging around his waist.

Our captors had waked us up this morning to start an expedition to the next location, the Zao Ruins. Asch tossed me the now clean and bloodless, Yurian uniform and told me to hurry up. They didn't tell us why we were heading there, but I was positive it had to do with Ion. Why had they brought me along? I'm not sure; maybe hostages would be effective if Luke and the others decided to show up.

Ion drank out from the canteen and smiled weakly, "Thanks, Jude." I nodded and looked at Asch when he stood up and disappeared behind the dune field.

"Ion, please stay here." I said, before standing up.

"Jude…" Ion reached for my hand.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." He was unsure but he let me go. Largo and Sync were engrossed in their own discussion; they might have seen me sprint after Asch though. Well, it wasn't like I was going to run away, they knew that. Not without Ion or a weapon, and even less in the middle of the desert.

It was easy to spot where Asch was, a red blob sitting between two large dunes, right on the trough. I was facing his back, but I could tell he was sitting cross-legged, resting his forehead on a fist. He looked like he was trying to concentrate or something.

"Answer me, answer me!" He growled, frustration leaking out of his voice. He was talking to himself, I think. "Answer me, you dreck!"

Nope, he was talking to Luke; it seemed opening his fonslots worked after all. I tiptoed towards him.

"You know who I am." Asch stated. "You look like me." Heir to the throne, God-General, a talented swordsman and now a telepathist…? What else he can do? Fly? Oh, wait, I know that one, he also has the ability to be a jerk.

"Where do you think you are going, idiot?" The genuine 'Asch the Bloody' spat, "Don't blame me if something happens to Ion or the lunatic blue-haired lady." Asch, you are such a bitch…

"The Zao Ruins…" Asch mumbled to answer Luke's telepathic question. "Though I doubt dreck like you can make it here." Wait… Is it just me or is he trying to help us? Well, it's not like the 'lunatic blue-haired lady' cares about that!

I jerked when Asch stood up. Oh, damn, hide Jude, hide! Asch turned around and gave me a I-know-you-were-there look. Never mind...

"So opening Luke's fon slots actually worked..." I sauntered towards him.

"You're such a snoop." He barked.

"Oh, excuse me, Mr. Ego Trip." I poked his shoulder. "But I'm not your typical jailbird, you should know that." He quickly grabbed my wrist and spun me around, twisting my arm behind my back like when we first met. Damn it, he is fast!

I protested and he tugged, slamming me against his chest.

"You're right." Chills went down my spine when he whispered into my ear, "You're_ my_ jailbird..." I frozen, my brain was still trying to process what he had just said and when I was done, I gulped. His last words sounded almost… almost seductive.

"What are you-"

"You admitted it back at the Tartarus." He chaffed. "You said you were my bitch…" I mentally kicked myself for being stupid and having such a big mouth. A comeback came to my head but I forgot what I was going to say when Asch, yes, Asch the Bloody, went on and sniffed my hair.

My mouth dropped open and my sight was lost in the distance. I barely noticed when he released my arm; my limb fell numbly to my side. He walked past me and turned around.

"Don't just stand there." He complained, his usual cool expression stuck on his face, like he hadn't done anything. "We have to get to the ruins before the dreck." Then, he walked away.

What the FUCK was that? I brushed off the sweat from my forehead with an arm and slapped myself a few times before following him to where the others were. We caught up with them and continued with the expedition. I was walking beside Ion just to make sure everything was ok. I had given him a few gels not so long ago. That's why I was so worried; they were not having any effect and my canteen was almost empty. I'd notice Ion's condition when I started traveling with Luke and the others but I thought he would get better.

Worst of all, we didn't have breakfast this morning; it was just a matter of time before the heat starts having effect on me. Hopefully, we would do whatever we needed to do and get out of there as soon as possible. At least we didn't have to fight, Largo, Sync and Asch did that for us. Otherwise, we would have blackout by now. I didn't even know how I had endured this climate, my body still hurt from what happened on the Tartarus and I had previously been smacked on the head by a guard from Duke Fabre's manor.

My eyes drifted to Asch, he was walking ahead of us. It's just… the way he acted back there was so weird and so… not Asch. In the other hand, I can't believe I actually said _that_! He beat me so hard that I started to say nonsense. Yeah, that's probably it.

"Jude, are you ok?" I glanced at Ion, he looked worried.

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine." I assured. "Why do you ask?"

"Your face is all red." He said innocently. I twitched when Asch, Largo and Sync looked back at me.

"I-I'm fine! It's the…uh… the HEAT!" I said trying not to panic, though it was obvious I failed. "Yeah, that's it. I'm fine, don't worry about me~! I bit my lip, why is it that when I get nervous I feel the urge to laugh? I hate it.

"Are you sure?" Sync snorted. "You don't look so well." I could see an evil grin beneath his mask.

"I'm perfectly fine!" I growled. Have I ever said how much I hate Sync?

"You are so weird sometimes." Asch murmured. WHAT? Look who's talking! He started this! I glared at him and he simply looked ahead. I tried to calm myself again, if I start discussing now I could risk getting us into trouble and Ion didn't need that now. So I shut my mouth.

A few hours later, we were right in front of the ruins. Just as expected, the place was visibly damaged, large pieces of structures lay around us, and many of these pieces were half submerged in sand. The main structure, which looked like a temple, had a decaying and desolated aspect. The sand and wind had worn out the walls and pillars that had once been an embellishing piece of art.

"We are finally here." Largo began. "Fon Master, we've brought you here to remove the Daathic Seal from this place."

"What is he talking about?" I glanced at Ion.

"In order to protect the Sephiroths, the Order placed Daathic Seals on them." Ion shook his head, "I had forgotten there was one here."

"So, they placed seals on them and now they want to remove them?" I raised a brow toward the God-Generals. "Why are they protecting them anyway?"

"That's confidential to the Order." Ion said with an apologetic expression, so I didn't push the topic any further.

"Come on, let's go." The green-haired God-General pointed Ion and me with a thumb, "Asch, stay behind them, whatever happens inside I'm not coming out until we are done." He looked at me, "Don't try anything stupid, if you do I'll make Asch cut your legs off."

"Whatever." I spat. Asch took his new position without complaining, right behind Ion and me. Then, we entered the temple. I was really getting sick of dark places.

At least the temperature was cooler inside; I touched the wall with my finger tips, finding it surprisingly cold, I even questioned myself if we were still in the desert. We could barely see anything through the thick fog of darkness, except for tiny rays of light that came out from the holes in the damaged ceiling.

I turned around to see Sync had lit up a torch, I'm not even sure where he took it out from but I was grateful we could see where we were standing now. He started to light the oil lamps attached to the walls, illuminating the path ahead of us.

Now that the place was brighter, I could see the old brick staircases that descended towards the bottom. I could also see particles of sand leaking from various spots above us, hell; it tickled my nose sometimes.

I rubbed my nose trying to repel the particles, the ticklish sensation made me want to sneeze but I refused to do so. We kept descending, I had totally forgotten about Asch until then, I looked back. He was looking around but in a split of a second, his eyes drifted towards me and I looked away casually. Right in that moment, the urge to sneeze bloomed again and this time I wasn't able to stop it.

"A-achoo!" The sound echoed loudly, it was followed by more sounds, thin wings being flapped and high pitched cries. The sound was familiar, "B-bats?" I looked around frenetically. The noise I made had probably woken them up.

"There!" Asch pointed above us. My eyes widened when they met a dense mass of black matter upon us, which actually was a horde of angry bats that was charging towards us.

"Oops." I mumbled.

"Jude!" I looked back at Sync. He threw me the torch, which I almost failed to catch. Hell, I was lucky I didn't end up burning my hands. "Take Ion, light the rest of the path! Asch, you go after them!"

I pulled Ion and ran down the stairs with Asch on our heels. The horde had split into two groups; Sync and Largo were taking care of one group while the other one was after us. Asch guarded our backs, slaying one bat after another while running.

I waved the torch when a bat tried to bite me in the face, "Get away, you ugly motherfucker!" We stopped when we got to the next oil lamp; I opened the small glass window and lit the lamp.

"Hurry up!" Asch growled, taking a fighting stance as the horde approached. I slammed the window glass shut.

"To the next one!" I shouted, pulling Ion again. We kept running, the horde had seemed to increase, even when Asch was doing a pretty good job taking care of them. I'd wave the torch if the creatures where getting too close, or even kicked them if it was necessary.

I screamed when the small claws of a bat tangled in my hair. Asch killed it and the lifeless body fell to the floor.

"You are pathetic." He scowled, slaying another bat.

"Well, if you could give me my sword back, I'd certainly be more useful." I spat, lighting another lamp.

"Pfff! Like I'd be that stupid!" He risked a glare at my direction.

"You ARE stupid!" I replied. Asch pushed a bat away with his elbow and gave me a dirty look.

"Please stop arguing!" Ion pleaded, I gave him an apologetic look before turning to Asch.

"A few artes would be useful now." I said. Asch forced a smile that said you-are-annoying, but did as I said. We got to the bottom of the pit and lit the last lamps. There were no signs of Largo or Sync and we still had a small group of bats after us. Well, at least Asch was having fewer problems killing them now that we had finished with our task.

Asch guided the rest of the bats outside of the chamber and summoned a green FoF, defeating the enemies with a single arte. "Lighting Tiger Blade!" Asch jumped high into the air with an upper slash and summoning a bolt of light that killed the bats instantly. Asch landed gracefully on his feet as the small bodies hit the floor.

Asch sheathed his sword with a smug. And I tried ignoring him, he thinks he is so cool, but he isn't it!

We supposed we would have to wait for Sync and Largo, so I focused on looking around. I was expecting to see tombs, spider webs and corpses but I never thought we would find a city. Well, I think it had been a city once, now everything was falling apart. We were standing in some sort of bridge that was supported by large pillars that came from the dark depth beneath us. I never thought the place was so big.

"How old you said this ruins were?" I asked, looking at Ion.

"2000 years, if I'm correct." Ion said. Holy shit! That's quite some time.

"Sync and Largo are taking their damn time..." Asch grunted impatiently. He started walking towards the other side of the bridge.

"Where are you going?"

"I think we should keep moving, the faster, the better."

"What about Sync and Largo?"

"They'll be fine."

"Do you even know where to go?"

"We won't know if we stay here." He sounded irritated.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I crossed my arms.

Asch unsheathed his sword, "Is it a good idea now?"

I glared at him, "Fuck you."

Ion stepped between us, he looked worried. "Jude, maybe it's better to do what Asch says." I heaved a sigh and glare at Asch one more time before nodding. And just like that, we were forced to go deeper. Asch was gaiting behind us, sword in hand, though this time it wasn't to protect us. Honestly, what is his problem?

There is no doubt that he is Duke Fabre's son, they are so alike in the mood aspect. Asch would probably kill me if I ever tell him that. He is the type of person that gets all defensive when he feels uncomfortable. Though, about my little secret…

Well, I have an idea of how he would react, but… No, it's better to do it this way, he doesn't have to know. What scares me is the way he would look at me; his expressions can tell you a lot, you know. I don't want to be hated and that's a good reason to do what I'm about to do, right?

I hope Luke and the others come here in time, if not, I won't be able to do my part of the deal. If I don't, Van would… he would… What would he do? Kill me? Or is something worse than that? From what I know he could turn me into a slave, trap within the medallion's power forever. I can't let that happen.

There was no point in thinking about that, besides I had to be positive. I was…I was going to betray Tear… I… I have to. No, I need to. Hell, I'm a coward, but who cares? I mean, that's the only thing Van wants, right? He only wants to have Tear by his side, nothing else. No one else, besides Asch and Tear will get hurt by my actions. I can live with that…

Anyway, I was a kind of surprised that we hadn't seen any monsters yet. Well, I was glad we hadn't been attacked. I doubted that Asch could handle another horde of monsters, but still it was quite suspicious that everything was too calmed.

We had seen more dilapidated buildings, debris, dust and more than anything else, sand. We were crossing another bridge when a loud cry made the bridge and its pillars start shaking violently. It sounded like a monster and its cry slammed into our eardrums. I covered my ears instinctively.

"What the hell is going on?" I yelled.

"Something is below us!" Asch shouted over the monster's roar. Ion fell on his bottom and I kneeled beside him. Asch used the railing of the bridge as support and looked down, his eyes widened, "What the-" I rushed to his side and he snapped, "Jude, to the floor!"

Before I could process what he said, he tackled me to the floor. I was about to complain when a huge sandworm appeared from one side of the bridge and drove itself above us, landing at the other side, like a sea monster swimming in a lake.

My face turned pale, even when the monster was not visible to us anymore. I pointed the ceiling of the cavern with a finger. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" Hell, I didn't even notice Asch was all over me until he stood up.

I staggered to my feet and Ion ran toward us. "Is it gone?" Ion asked. But none of us had the opportunity to answer, the bridge started to shake again and this time the floor of the bridge cracked. In a blink of an eye, the piece of floor where Asch and I were standing ceased and we both fell into the abyss…

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><p>"…ude are you ok?" Asch's voice rang softly from…somewhere. My eyelids felt heavy but I managed to open my eyes. I was lying on the cold brick floor and my eyes met Asch's forest green eyes. I sat up and he leaned away as I did.<p>

"We fell off of the bridge." He stated and I nodded.

"Yeah, I remember." I groaned, scanning our surroundings. We had been lucky enough to land in another bridge. "Where are we?"

"I think we are in the lowest part of the ruins. We must be close to the altar." Asch stood up.

"What altar?" I cocked my head.

"The one were Ion has to make the ritual. He is the only one that can remove the Daathic Seal." He offered a hand, I took it and he pulled me up.

"Wait." I looked around frenetically. "Where is Ion?"

"We were the only ones that fell off." Asch said, running a hand through his hair. "We need to keep going, I'm sure Sync and Largo will take care of him. We'll certainly meet them if we head to the altar."

"What?" I growled. "What are you talking about? We left him alone up there! What if that monster attacks again?"

"Hey, we are the ones in danger here!" He spat and threw his arms in the air. "The monster must be wandering around here."

"In that case, we should be heading the other way, not to that stupid altar!" I snapped. He rolled his eyes and pulled me from my wrist, towards the direction he assumed would take us to the altar. "Let go off me!" But, he ignored me and kept dragging me. I tried anchoring my feet to the ground but he was too strong.

"Why do I always have to drag you around?" He complained. "Can't you cooperate, at least once?"

"Well, you are the one that insists!" I scowled. His grip tightened and he pulled even harder. "Owww, crap! You are hurting me!" I snapped, but he ignored me again. "Can you at least give me back my sword? You won't be able to fight that damn worm alone!"

"I'm not giving it back, so stop asking." He replied. I twisted my arm and was able to get free.

"Why can't you trust me?" I asked, rubbing my wrist.

His face contorted with anger, "I trusted you back at Choral Castle. And what did you do? You betrayed me and teamed up with the replica!"

"W-WHAT? I didn't betray you!" I protested. "I didn't left with them because I wanted to!"

"Then, why?" He looked at me with defiance, as if he was certain that I didn't have an answer. I licked my lips and opened my mouth, I was ready to tell him Sync and Dist were the real traitors. That Van had ordered Sync to keep an eye on him and that I had heard them say he would get punished. But then, I realized what that meant and I closed my mouth.

Telling him Van was keeping an eye on him would bring consequences, especially to me. Asch would certainly try to find out what Van was trying to do, he would get in trouble and Van would know it was me who told him. Sync was Van's ears and eyes after all and that idiot would make sure he knew I had been captured along with Ion. I was sure Van wouldn't kill him; even though he knew Asch hated him. The only reason Van wouldn't harm him was because…

In that moment, I realized Van needed Asch, not only him but his replica as well. That's why he had kidnapped him in the first place. But… why?

"Jude!" Asch's growl knocked me out of my internal dilemma. "Hey, are you listening to me? Tell me why you did it!"

"I-I… well..." Damn it, I'll have to lie again. "Fine, I was mad with you, ok?" Tears were gathering in my eyes. Worst. Lie. Ever. "I- I betrayed you, so what?" I stomped away, following the direction he had been taking me. I tried sucking in all those tears again, that was the stupidest lie ever but that would keep that idiot from getting in trouble.

I could hear Asch yelling behind me, his voice became louder and louder as he tried catching up with me. I wasn't hearing what he was saying, he was probably cursing or just ranting, and well, I didn't wanted to know either. His words were just sounds to me; they didn't have sense. It was like hearing a song that was in another language, one with a catchy rhythm but that doesn't mean anything to you, just that, rhythm.

I had finally sucked all the sorrow back inside me when Asch tugged me from my arm again, almost ripping it off, I was forced to spin around to prevent that from happening.

"Stop ignoring me!" His voice raised three octaves. And this time, I didn't have time to stop the tears. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you acting so strange?" And the tears ran freely. Great, now what? Come on, brain, do something!

"You never told me the truth!" I roared grasping him from the collar of his tabard. "You never told me you knew who I was, you motherfucker!" I shook him with all my force. "I hate you! And everything that has to do with you, I hate it, I HATE IT!" That came better than expected. At least I had an excuse to cry. "Oh, and guess what? I didn't even mention you had a replica, so stop shouting!" Besides, Jade found out on his own.

I was shaking him so violently that I almost broke his neck. And his usual pale skin had turned even paler, his expression was hard to decipher, I could see a little bit of shock but that's the only thing I was able to detect. I'm ruining Jude Haefner's reputation, so what? Beats me… ok, maybe not but… fuck this. Asch had frozen, I let him go and start walking again, that will keep him quiet for a while at least.

Man, once all of this ends and I 'die', Jude will be remembered as a traitor, bitch and a criminal, fuck her life.

I turned around to look at Asch, wow, maybe I went too far back there. He was looking straight ahead; his legs moved on its own and his face, there was something wrong with his face. His eyes were lost that was for sure, I don't think he even realized I was looking at him. But his expression was really bugging me, he looked like he had just come out from hell, a traumatizing experience. Or like he had been close to dying and that said experience had changed the way he looked at life.

Ugh, stop it, stop doing that face. I said that because you were being annoying and… Just stop it! I kept babbling inside my head, like if he really could hear what I was saying. Just, do that angry expression you always do, god damn it! That I'm-better-than-you face, come on, come on!

Fucking great, now I feel guilty, honestly, I'm too soft.

My mind was racing, thinking about mushy feelings and that crap when some rocks, yes, rocks, that I found in my way, jumped over my right leg and attached to it. I screamed and fell on my bottom, I mean, what the hell with those rocks? That might have make Asch snap out from his little daydream because he yelled my name and dashed towards me.

It took me a couple of seconds to understand what was going on as more rocks jumped over me, this time they attacked my left arm. The thing is, they looked like rocks but they were actually some type of weird monster, which by the way, were trying to munch me alive now.

I turned around to see why the hell Asch was taking so long to save me, the sight was mortifying. He was fighting against more of those creatures, he had managed to kick some of them out of his way but a gang of rocks had already hopped over his shoulder. I stopped struggling and banged my head on the floor, a deadpan look on my face. "We're so screwed." I commented.

"A-Are you going to give up now?" Asch huffed, and another monster attacked his legs. Funny fact, it felt more like I was having a massage rather than being eaten alive.

"What? Asch the Bloody is my life coach now?" I sneered. "Come on, you are just as screwed as I am." Asch fell on all fours, more monsters had climbed over his back and the weight forced him to fall down. His face was only inches away from mine, facing chin to forehead.

To my surprise, he chuckled instead of threatening or arguing. His eyes soften and a tiny, almost imperceptible smile drew on his lips. "Y-You're right…" He mumbled. His arms were shaking from all the weight; the only parts of our bodies that weren't covered by stones were our heads.

The smile faded away quickly, it only lasted a few seconds. "But, I'd prefer to die in a less pathetic way…" He mused.

"I…I suppose you are right." I wheezed, it's difficult to breathe when you have a pile of hungry rocks over your stomach. I squirmed trying to push the rocks away or kick them but it was useless. "See? If you had given me my sword we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Tch." He raised a brow, "I'm pretty sure we would have been stuck like this anyway." I pouted at his remark. Then, he nodded and took a deep breath before pushing himself up. He staggered once he was on his feet and started shaking off the rocks, one by one, thought it took him some time.

He still had five or so creatures over him when Sync, Largo and Ion appeared, which obviously made things easier for us. A few 'wooshs' from Largo's scythe and I was free. Ion had been lucky enough to bump with Sync and Largo when we fell off the bridge. Apparently, the reason why they took so long to come down was because most of the bats that Asch wasn't able to kill ran off and attacked the other two God-Generals instead. It's not the smartest thing they could have done though.

"I should have known she'd be a nuisance." Sync barked looking at me. I 'hmphed' and brushed off the sand and dust from my trousers.

"In any case, we should head to the altar now." Largo said, pointing the way with his scythe. And so, Largo took the lead this time. Ion, who had been worried about us all this time, looked much better now. His skin wasn't pale anymore and his eyes were sparkling, I suppose the cool temperature of the ruins had helped him considerably. I can't help worrying about him, I used to idolize this kid but now, it's much more than that. He is important to me; he is a really nice person, too much in my opinion and he could be easily hurt because of that.

We kept going; there was no track of the huge sandworm that attacked us, which was odd. How could such large creature appear and disappear just like that? There were no holes or any other sort of clue that could tell us what had been of said creature. Even Sync doubted the existence of the monster since neither him nor Largo had felt the earthquakes or heard its cry.

We found a large temple, said temple was connected to another bridge, Largo assured the altar was just ahead and he was right. After crossing the bridge and taking a few steps more... Viola, a temple with a small altar at the far back came in sight. Just in front of the altar was the entrance to the temple, but this one was covered by a prismatic barrier, it reminded me of the stained-glass windows of Daath's Cathedral. A round seal had been drawn over the altar, time and sand had faintly erased the symbols and codes of the seal.

Asch grabbed Ion by an arm and pulled him in an indelicate way, which earned him a baleful look from my part; I followed them to the altar. "Do your thing, Fon Master." Asch commanded.

Ion noticed I was getting angry and said, "Don't worry Jude, I'll be fine. Even without the Daathic Seal, they won't be able to do anything." He assured, I closed my eyes and nodded solemnly. Asch and I stepped back as Ion entered the circle drawn on the floor. Green particles rose from the ground and started to swirl around as an equally green light came from the traces of the seal.

Sync and Largo had taken position behind us, guarding our backs. That's when a familiar and unwanted voice rang from above.

"Hey! I need my girlfriend back!" I turned; I was able to spot _him_ over a large boulder, not so far away from us.

"Pierce? What the hell are you doing here?" I growled with an accusing finger.

Asch raised a brow. "You know him?" Sync and Largo were looking at me too. Before I could give an answer, Pierce jumped off the boulder and started to walk towards us, a triumphant smile on his lips.

"I'm her boyfriend; why else would I be here?" He grinned. What the hell does he thinks he's doing? Asch gave me an expectant look, which I ignored.

"Pierce, stop joking around. Get out of here, these guys will kill you if you stay here." I sort of begged and snarled at the same time, hoping he would be intelligent and walk away.

"She's right." Asch began. "Get out of here while you can."

"I'm sorry Mr. Asch the Bloody." Pierce ran a hand through his hair, "I'm not planning to go anywhere." Asch grinned and gestured Sync and Largo to go ahead. My eyes widened as both God-Generals approached him. Pierce smiled and unstrapped his axe from his harness.

"Now!" Pierce shouted. And as unexpected as it can be, arrows started to rain down over both God-Generals.

"What the-" Sync's sentence was left unfinished as he and his partner started dodging the projectiles that Natalia released in just a split of a second. She was standing over the boulder Pierce had been over not so long ago. A large blurry mass of brown, yellow and red catapulted from behind the boulder and fell over Largo and Sync. The impact made sand and dust particles flew everywhere momentarily, the foggy layer of dirt was thick and therefore, it was impossible to see what was going on. I could only see flashes of light through it, probably the result of using some artes.

"Damn it!" Asch gnarled.

Tear, Natalia and Jade hopped off the boulder and joined the sightless battle, I didn't know what was going on until the fog dissipated. We found Sync and Largo having a tedious battle against Pierce, Tokunaga (Anise), Luke and Guy while the others were busy casting some spells.

I knew Asch would have to join the battle at this point, I needed my rapier back. So, I acted before he could get away from me. I wasn't really thinking… I mean it, well sort of; call it payback for his strange demeanor back at the desert. I also blame Jade for giving me this idea.

I pinned him to the colorful barrier and wrapped an arm around his neck, praying for no one else to see this. Well, I think Fon Master Ion was our only expectant since everyone else were engrossed in battle. I pressed my body on his. His face reflected pure shock, forest green eyes locked on my blue ones. I gave him a ravishing smile and closed my eyes as I leaned closer, lips parted and slowly making their way to his lips. Asch held that terrified look on his face, he didn't even try to close his eyes or breathe at all, he had turned into stone. In the other hand, my heart was beating so fast it ached. His cologne had made its way through my nostrils and for some reason, it made it easier for me to go on.

When I was close enough to feel his warm breath on my face, I unsheathed my rapier from its sheath as fast as humanly possible.

It didn't take him less than a split of a second to act, he unsheathed his own sword and both blades clashed with our parry stance. "I-Ion, run!" I stammered. There was so much fury in Asch's eyes that I didn't risk to look back to see if Ion had heard me. Oh, yeah, I'm officially done with Jude's reputation.

I jumped back to make some distance between us. But Asch didn't give me an opportunity to think about what to do next, he just jumped over me and I barely blocked his attacks. Holy crap, he is really pissed! I could see shadows jumping from one place to another around us, I wasn't really paying attention to what was happening with Luke and the others and unfortunately, I had to suffer the consequences. Largo threw Tokunaga into the air with a powerful blow and I was on its way. I was sent flying along with the puppet and its owner.

At least that made Asch forget about me momentarily, he was now fighting against Luke. They mirrored their movements unintentionally. A strong hand pulled me up from my coat. "You ok?" Pierce asked.

"I'm… I'm fine." I replied with a blank expression. "What are you doing here?" Instead of answering, he jumped away, Sync had hopped into the air and attacked with a kick. I twisted my wrist to try and pierce him with the tip of my blade but he deflected my attack slamming his thigh on the flat surface of my blade. I threw a kick but he jumped away, Pierce attacked as well, but Sync was too fast for us.

"That was one of Master Van's moves!" I turned around when I heard Luke speaking. "How did YOU know it?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asch's growl made everyone stop fighting. "It's because we trained in the same style, how else?"

"Asch! Stop!" Sync ordered. All of a sudden, the earth started to shake.

"What's going on?" Natalia shouted as we all looked around. A familiar roar slammed into our eardrums.

"Over there!" Guy shouted, pointing behind us. The huge sandworm that had attacked us before rose from below the sand, just behind the boulder the others had used to hide themselves. I was able to catch every complex detail of the monster this time, large red and black scales covered his body, his flower-like mouth opened and revealed various rings of teeth inside his mouth and throat, the back was traced with a bee line of sharp flipper-like horns.

"This isn't good." Jade growled.

The beast started to slam its side into the wall of the cavern, every hit made the ground palpitate, it felt like the heart of the Auldrant had gone wild. Great quantities of sand had started to leak from over the cavern's ceiling and were piling up right where we were. The creature slammed into the cavern's wall once again; this time, breaking the wall and unearthing large amounts of water that were now cascading over us. Large chunks of the asperous wall had blocked the only exit and our battlefield was turning into a pool.

"W-What do we do now?" Anise stammered. The sand that had previously leaked from the ceiling had absorbed the water and it was difficult to move around it, at this pace, we would die in no time. The sandworm roared again.

"I don't want to die!" Luke cried.

"Shut up!" Asch yelled.

"We must remain calm." Largo said.

"He is right." Tear spoke. We are so dead…

Pierce raised his axe over his head; he jumped and flipped vertically, "Devastation!" His axe released a shiny red light when it impacted onto the ground. The floor started to crack and before we knew, a hole opened and started to suck all the water and sand. But it wasn't the only _thing_ the hole sucked, Pierce was the first one to be dragged in, then Sync, next were Asch and Luke and then… me.

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><p><strong>Jude has obtained a new title: Lunatic Blue-Haired Girl!-prevents encounters while standing stil! XD<strong>

**EDIT: GO AND CHECK MY DEVIANT ART PAGE, NEW DRAWING: CHIBI ASCH, JUDE & PIERCE ;D  
><strong>

**Please, review!  
><strong>


	13. Chapter 13: Jimenah

**BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH, BLAH BLAH BLAH?**

**BLAH BLA BLAH! Since only a few people read what I say up here, I'll start making annoncements at the end. Hopefully, people will read what I say there. XD**

**Also, I've been a little down lately, so sorry if this chapter is not as good at the others.**

**Whatever, enjoy...  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 13: Jimenah<p>

The wind pushed my hair away from my face as I fell, I wanted to scream but as soon as my eyes met the endless darkness I was falling to I immediately swallowed down that desire, I was too scared. Scared of waking another horde of bats or calling another enormous limbless monster, this wasn't Luke's case though. He was screaming at the top of his lungs right below me, Asch and the other were out of sight and that wasn't comforting at all. Worst of all, with all that water being sucked in and cascading behind us, was there any opportunity to survive?

The light that came from the breach Pierce created, illuminated the bottom of the abyss, our reflection mirrored on the bottom for half a second, the next half we were crashing into the cold water. I swam to the surface and breathed in all the air I was desperately looking for. I combed my soaked hair with my fingers and brushed it off from my eyes. That's when Luke rose behind me and coughed out some water, see? That's what happens to people that never shuts the fly trap.

"W-Where are we?" he stammered, the water was so cold that we could feel it go through our bones. I looked around; we were in some sort of underground lake. The soft light that came in from above revealed large boulders, those had fallen and were now resting motionlessly in the lake. An endless amount of water was running through the hole. Pierce had created the strangest waterfall I had ever seen, I admired how the water diffused into tiny particles before even touching the lake.

I was planning to answer Luke's question after figuring it out first but it was hopeless, I didn't know.

"Jude, Luke, over here!"We turned around as soon as Pierce's voice reached our ears. He was standing over a rock that was close to the beach, waving both hands in the air; behind him were Sync and Asch twisting their clothes to drain out the water. It was a relief to know I wasn't alone with Luke; that would have killed me.

We swam all the way to where they were, it was also comforting to know they were not so far, the water was pitch black, it was like swimming in darkness and that was scaring the hell out of me. What if a monster lives down there? And if there is one, what if it tries to eat me or drown me? You can bet that made me swim faster.

Luke and I drained out our clothes and hair as soon as we got to the beach. I checked inside my bag, which was obviously dripping with water, and cursed at whatever godly force hated me so much to empty my bag, I must have lost all those gels when I fell into the water. Pierce approached us with a smile while Sync and Asch limited themselves to mumble not-so-pretty words.

"Where is everyone else?" My eyes drifted to the breach again, I hadn't seen anyone else fall, beside us.

"They must still be up there." Sync pointed Pierce with a thumb, "We were the ones that were closer to the breach this idiot opened. The other must have been able to avoid being sucked in."

"Idiot?" Pierce huffed. "We would all have died if I hadn't made that hole!"

"The Six God-Generals don't need help from people like you." Asch grinned, "Besides, you would have made this world a big favor letting that whiny noble to die."

"What?" Luke growled.

"Are you deaf, idiot?" Asch approached to Luke dangerously. For a second, I thought he was going to punch him in the face but Pierce got in his way. Sync approached and joined the not-so-friendly discussion. I tried calling their attention but they simply wouldn't listen, they kept pushing each other and ranting about Yulia-knows-what. I knew they would take out their weapons sooner than expected.

"Can you guys shut up?" I shouted, and that finally made them stop. Honestly, this guys… "I don't think we should be discussing now, we need to get out of here." I looked at Asch, "We probably won't be able to get out of here if we don't stay together."

"Oh, shut up!" Luke gave me a stern look. "You are not going to tell me what to do! I want to know why this punk looks like me and I want to know NOW!" Asch grabbed Luke by the collar. Oh, shit! He is seriously asking to get his ass kicked.

I wrapped my arm around Luke's and turn on my heel, forcing him to do the same and also forcing Asch to let him go. "Luke, we don't have time for this!"

"Hey, I'm the Ambassador!" Luke spluttered. "Everyone is suppose to do what I say, so shut your mou-" I didn't let him finish, I was pissed to say the least. I'm trying to help you, you idiot.

I was finally able to try one of Mr. Miyagi's trick, I slid a feet between his legs and slammed my heel on his instep, the arched part of the top of the foot. He fell in all fours, I twisted his arm behind his back and just to make sure he would stay put, I pulled his hair with the other hand and twisted it around his neck. He choked due to the fact I was strangling him with his own hair.

I was also aware that I was helping Asch in some way; at least he wouldn't have to explain why they looked the same and all that stuff. However, I was pretty sure he would have ended beating him to death instead of actually explaining something; he is predictable in that aspect.

"Listen to me, you moron." I began. "You can make as many questions as you want after we get out of here. You'll be a good 'Ambassador' and do what I say or I'll cut your ears off. Did you understand?" Luke nodded desperately, his face was turning purple. I let him go and a wheezing sound escaped from his lips as soon as his lugs where filled with air again.

I turn around just to find Pierce sporting Guy's women-are-scary look at me while Asch and Sync didn't look surprised at all.

In fact, Sync was actually grinning, he patted Asch on the back, "And that's why short hair is better..." Asch gave him a sideway look then said 'Shut up' before turning to me.

I jolted when he threw at me _her_ rapier, which was in its sheath and strapped to my belt, and caught it in the air. Wait… How did he… Hadn't I recovered it already? A playful smile drew on Pierce's lips when he saw the quizzical look on my face; he rested his arm on my shoulders putting all his weight on me, which almost killed me since I still had bruises from the last beat-some-sense-into-you session with Asch.

"Jude, darling, you can't go around dropping stuff and accidently stabbing people with them…" I was about to protest about how unnecessarily stupid the term _darling _was, but I focused on what he had just said. Still, I only managed to raise a brow at him and at his vague statement, Pierce's eyes flickered from me to Asch, from me again… to Asch, once again…from me…to…

"Oh, fuck." The rapier swung just so slightly due to the fact that the strands of my belt had tangled around my fingers when I covered my mouth with my hands. My eyes had locked on Asch's shoulder. Ok, scratch that, my eyes locked on the large wound on his shoulder, I'd have seen it before if his hair wasn't all…all…all red and…blood-looking. They didn't have to say anything else for me to understand what had happen.

The rapier must have slip out from my hand when I was sucked into the hole and… well, the rest was obvious. Really, what the hell is wrong with the world? From all people, it had to go and stab Asch; it could have stabbed Luke, the whiny guy, Pierce, the annoying Casanova or Sync the Tempest, whom I hate deeply, but nooo.

"I'm so sorry!" I apologized for the tenth time. I was trying to get near his shoulder to check the wound but he placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me away.

"I already told you, I'm fine!" He spat with a venomous glare. It made me wonder, is he was mad because I stabbed him or because I nearly kissed him?

Either way, he didn't let me see the wound, instead he agreed that the best thing we could do now was to look for an exit, something I wasn't expecting from him especially because I knew he would like to be as far as he could from his replica. Somehow, he was able to convince Sync and sooner than expect, we were looking for a way out…

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><p>Pierce held his oil lamp close to his face as we followed him, we were lucky he had one in the first place. It was the only way to see through the darkness and that's how we found a natural tunnel that would hopefully take us out of here. The walls of the tunnel were dripping with water; the path was jammed with rocks and puddles here and there.<p>

I was curious to why Pierce's lamp was working when all his stuff had gotten wet as well, so I asked him. He smiled impishly and answered that he didn't kept the lamp inside his bag, which earned him an inquiring look from all of us, where else can you keep that?

That's when he whispered into my ear, "I can show you where I keep it, later." I looked at him wide-eyed, from head to toe. And he limited himself to wink at me.

"You are such a whore." I sighed. I was just glad he decided not to say it out loud, it would have been embarrassing.

I was almost sure Yulia had thrown me down to hell for being a treacherous human being, falling down into a hole with all the people I disliked and that probably some of them felt the same towards me…hah, not a coincidence.

I shook off those thoughts from my head; I'd have to be positive if I wanted to get out of this hellhole. That made me wonder, were Tear and the others ok? Or did the giant sandworm attack them? Well, Jade was there…Largo as well… They'll be fine!

In fact, I should be worrying about us, not them. We would have tried climbing all the way up to the hole if it hadn't been too damn high and also if it hadn't turned into a cascade. Still, I was somehow glad about that, I can't stand heights and I knew I'd have fall in the end. So…yeah, slowly but safely!

Hey, now that I think about it, Jade and the others may have left the ruins already. He is the type of guy that would work out a plan before going anywhere. Besides, Luke was requested to go to Akzeriuth, so he has to look for us either way. He is the 'Ambassador' after all, hah, the 'Ambassador of Morons'. That title suits him pretty well.

"What are you laughing at?" I turned around, that had been Sync and he was looking at me… I think. I must have giggled there and looked like a total weirdo. But still, I didn't like his tone. Quick, a comeback!

"Not your business, veggie head." I scoffed. Oh, yeah, that's much better. I watched as Sync gritted his teeth, he looked like he was going to jump over me at any second. But Asch stopped him placing a hand on his shoulder, just to remind him he was wounded and that fighting wouldn't bring good results to them, especially since we outnumbered them three versus two.

Huh? Wait a second. Is it me or something here is out of place? Shouldn't Asch have been the one all pissed and asking what was I laughing at? Yeah… And Sync would have been the one all cautious and stuff. When did they switch rolls?

"Weren't you the one that told us to stop fighting?" Asch kicked me out of my head trip and cocked an eyebrow at my direction.

"Oh, yeah." I grinned at him and then look back to Sync. "But _some_ people need to be more tolerant." Sync looked away and huffed. Asch frowned a little and shrugged it off. Ok, maybe Sync is being himself; he still is a kid after all. But Asch… ok, this is even weirder than whispering creepy things into my ear and then acting like nothing happen. He is actually the one being tolerant right now, and that's so not him.

But then again, why do I even ca- Ugh, shut up already, Jude. You care about what he thinks about you. You know he started acting even weirder when you almost kissed him, deal with it god damn it! See? Look, look at him; look at how far he is walking away from you. I bet you he'll stop walking if you do, he doesn't want to be near you.

Just to prove my stupid conscience she was wrong, I stopped and turned around to face him. But I was at a loss for words as soon as our eyes met. The others looked at me expectantly and I couldn't help but notice there was some sort of invisible wall between Asch and me, similar to the 'barrier' Guy uses against all women. 'What did I tell you?' the voice of my conscious scoffed.

I stared at him like an idiot until Luke, who I had made sure to keep away from Asch by forcing him to walk in front of me, pulled me from the collar of my coat.

"Hurry up, Jude! I want to get out of here as soon as we can!" He hissed as he kept dragging me away, almost making me fall on my bottom. Well, at least he saved me from the awkward moment.

We had explored the endless tunnel for about three hours and there was no sign that we were getting out of here anytime soon. I wasn't surprised when more stupid rock-like monsters attacked us. This time I was able to kick them away easily; still they were a little tough to defeat since, guess what? Rocks don't bleed, which makes me wonder what type of diabolic force would possess a stupid rock.

I risked a glance towards Pierce, who seemed like having no problem with these monsters. One downward blow from his axe and those rocks were goners. Since the monsters were not being a real nuisance, I decided to try Mr. Miyagi's gathering fonon method. I was trying to perform 'Stygian Rain' once again.

'Stygian Rain' is a based arte so I had no trouble gathering the quantity of fonons that was necessary, I was impressed on how much I'd learned since I started fighting. I spun on my heel and smashed the hilt of the rapier on one of the rocks, taking advantage from the momentum it acquired when it jumped over me. I wasted no time and stabbed, stabbed and stabbed with great speed. "Stygian Rain!" All the fonons concentrated on the tip of my blade.

Particles of the monster flew everywhere and I was proud that at least it worked, I mean, it was lame to be happy when I was fighting a rock! I'm sure anyone could have done better but still. It was all thanks to Mr. Miyagi; therefore I shall call the fonon gathering method, the Fonic Miyagi Method! Yeah, I'm so creative!

I turned back and grinned at Asch, I had been waiting for him to see what I was capable of. But my smile faded as soon as I realized he was glaring at me. Yulia! I turned around quickly. Told you, his expressions can tell you a lot. Seriously, Asch is as complicated as a girl! Ok, maybe making him think I was going to kiss him was a ridiculous idea, but you guys have to admit it was a ridiculously successful one. He must be butt-hurt because he got owned!

I stopped ranting senselessly when the tunnel led us to another cavern, despite we had Pierce's lamp we couldn't see anything beyond our hands. It seems like I'm destined to be in creepy dark places. Then, in an instant, the fire from Pierce's lamp went out.

"Oh, fuck." That was Sync. And I started to panic, trying to at least find someone's hand, hopefully it wouldn't be Sync's hand, I hate that guy.

"Uh, oh, I ran out of oil…"

"I think we all noticed, Pierce…" Luke huffed. I waved my hands frenetically. His voice indicated me he was the closest one from me. *honk* "H-HEY! Who grabbed my butt?"

Oh shit! Great, now I'll have to look for Asch… Pierce is out of the question!

"A-Asch?" I stammered. "Where the hell are you?" Bravo, Jude, that's certainly the way to ask.

"I-I'm here."

"Where?"

"HERE."

"Here, WHERE?"

"HERE, WOMAN!" I assumed it was his hand the one that wrapped roughly around mine. He pulled and my face slammed against his chest. Holy mother-father that hurt! "Pierce, can you light that thing again?" Asch barked.

"I'm trying to find the stupid oil in my pants!" He hissed back.

"Ah, so that's where he kept the lam-"

"Luke, we didn't need to know!" I interrupted, clinging miserably to Asch's arm.

"Still," Sync's voice rang from somewhere. "We would need more than one lamp to look around without facing flat on our faces." I'm sure some mightily invisible force heard him because in that instant, the place lit up on its own. Torches that had been attached to the asperous walls and had been occulted by the darkness all this time, lit up in bee lines, one by one unit the whole 'room' was enlightened.

An awkward silence fell upon us as we admired the structure that had popped out in front of us. A large and stretch stairway was just the beginning of all of _it_, a splendorous mausoleum with complex twists and ornaments that had been carved centuries ago, or that's what I think.

"T-that was creepy." Pierce broke the silence.

"What is another temple doing here?" Asch walked towards the stairs, but he stopped abruptly and I followed his gaze to figure out why. He was looking at the thick stone gate of the mausoleum, my eyes widened.

Sync passed him by when he noticed the carved 'Y' symbol on the gate. It was no other than THE symbol, also known as the Order of Lorelei's symbol or Yulia's symbol. It reminded me of the 'Y' shaped pendant Ion had, his rod had the same shape too.

"Huh…" Sync traced the symbol with his fingers as if he was trying to erase it.

"Well…?" Asch raised a brow at him. I guess this guys can understand each other without saying a word, I'd blame years of working together in their case.

Sync shook off the dust from his hands and gave him a smiled from over his shoulder. "I feel a little left out... I can't believe _they_ have been hiding this from us." I supposed he was referring to the Order. Could Van know?

"Pfff, why am I not surprised?" Pierce huffed and looked away. Huh? What's with him?

"Hey, look at this!" We all turned around simultaneously when Luke called out. Apparently, he had been wandering while we studied the new location. Luke was holding a long piece of wood with the shape of an arrow. He inspected it, twisting it around and tilting his head this way and that way. I'd seen him doing that several times before getting to Baticul, while holding our map.

"This thing has weird symbols!" Luke proclaimed. Asch approached and gave him a stern look before snatching the piece of wood from his hands.

"You are holding it upside down, you idiot!" Asch growled. Oh, I knew he wanted to jump over his replica and strangle him to death, so I snatched the piece of wood from his hands, I knew that would call his attention.

A quizzical look drew on my face as soon as I read what was written on the wood; Pierce and Sync took a closer look from behind me, followed by Asch and Luke. The sign said: **MT. JIMENAH**.

"Where is that place?" I asked.

"I've never heard of it." Pierce said.

"Me neither." Sync mumbled.

"This is getting weirder…" Asch mused with a clueless look upon his face.

"I don't get it. What's so weird?" Luke pouted and crossed his arms. Only Pierce cared to explain.

"Well, this sign has the name of a place that doesn't exist." He scratched the back of his head. "Where did you find it?"

"On the floor," Luke pointed the spot, "Right there."

So, let's think this over. We found a sign with the name of a place that doesn't exist and most importantly, beneath the ruins…? From what I know, there are no mountains in this desert. But maybe…

"I think I found a way to get out of here." Sync said. We turned around and found Sync pointing another tunnel we hadn't seen, probably because we were too busy admiring the hidden temple. After a few minutes of discussion, we decided we would go on with the expedition. Besides, what we really wanted was to get out of this place, not plunder someone's tomb especially if the place was cursed.

We took a few of the torches that were hanging from the walls and made our way through the other tunnel, hoping this would end soon…

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><p>After hours and hours of walking, we decided it was better to stop and have some rest; there was a cold breeze that came from the other side of the tunnel, which meant two things. One, we were going in the right direction; Pierce said the breeze came from the desert and that somehow it had gotten into here. In other words, we were closer to the exit and clearly, it was more than we had expected. Second, that also meant it had gotten dark outside while we explored the place, no wonder why we were so tired. A whole day walking? Give me a break.<p>

Remember I said I didn't have breakfast? Well, by that time I felt like I was going to collapse sooner than later. Which was why I was so happy that the other were exhausted as well, I'm sure Asch, Sync and Luke would have forced me to go on if they have had the energy to keep going. Hah, they would have dragged Pierce and me to the exit if it had been needed.

We set camp in the driest spot we found and displayed the torches around the place as a way to light up the area. Pierce used the wooden sign we found and made a bonfire with it, a little one since we didn't know how close we were to the exit. We didn't want to die asphyxiated by the smoke of the fire. That would be the silliest way to die here.

I shook my head as I looked around; our current party was simply odd to begin with. Although I have to admit, things had gone smoother than I expected. At least Luke had stopped whining about why Asch looked like him, but I knew he would bring up the subject as soon as we were out of here.

Well, I had given Asch enough time for him to figure out what to do, I'm sure he didn't care about Luke knowing, but he knew his replica would look for answers if he figures out. And, well, Asch isn't the type of person that likes to explain stuff, especially if it's something he doesn't want to talk about and even less, with his replica.

I caught Asch removing his tabard from the corner of my eye. He was sitting on a rock and about to treat his wound. I rocked back and forth and crossed my arms behind my back before taking a good, deep breath. As soon as I felt capable of looking into his eyes without freaking out, I gaited towards him trying to look as casual as possible. I was trying to make him think I was just passing by when I noticed him.

"Oh, can I help you with that?" I said with a laid-back smile, a fake one of course.

"No." He said dryly. Asshole.

"Why not?" Fake disappointment leaked out from my voice. "Come on, let me help you."

"I said no." Idiot. I grabbed his tabard, which was resting on the rock, right beside him. That piece of his uniform had a gash in one of the shoulder areas; I figured that's where my sword went through his shoulder.

I sat beside him, ignoring the disapproving look he was giving me and opened my bag, shit, I forgot I lost the gels I had left. I cursed under my breath and told him I'd be back. I went to Pierce and asked him for a few gels then, I stomped all the way back to Asch.

"Here." I held my hand opened and offered them to him.

"I already ate some."

"Take this one's as well."

"I said-"

"I don't care."

"Why are you such a nuisance?"

"Why are you such a jerk?" We glared at each other for a whole minute. "If you don't let me help you I'll-"

"You'll what?" He dared. I rummaged inside my head for any good idea, one that would certainly make him give up.

"I'll sit on your lap if you don't let me help you."

"Excuse me?" He sounded angry but his face said he was terrified. Bingo.

"Wanna bet?" I grinned. "I almost kissed you once; sitting on your lap will be nothing."

"You can't be se-"

"You can bet I am." I said, in a dead serious tone. Just as I expected, he cooperated. Awww, I didn't know he was so shy with the girls; this can bring me some benefits! Hah, like I'd need any at this point.

He hesitated a little when I told him to take off his tunic; the blade had gone all the way to his flesh. And I'm being completely honest when I say I hadn't thought about what I said until he took off the tunic. We both blushed madly and I think I stared at his chest and arms for quite some time, that's when he growled and told me to hurry up.

I examined the wound; my sword had probably stabbed him vertically because the wound was quite deep. I proceeded to clean it up; I started ranting just to have some distraction, it was the only way to stop staring at his muscles. I went on and teased him, saying that a lot of guys would have loved having a girl on their laps for free and that he had lost a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity.

He didn't say anything at all, he only looked away. I started wrapping the bandages; Sync had previously given to him, around his shoulder. That's when he broke the silence.

"By 'a lot of guys', you mean Pierce?" His lips moved so quickly and his voice was so low that I thought my mind was playing some trick on me. But as soon as he looked me in the eye, I knew I hadn't imagined it.

"I… well…" My eyes trailed off to his wound. "I was just joking…" I wrapped the bandages once or twice before securing it with a knot. He had been silent after I answered, so I added, "I really don't blame you if you think I'm a whore."

"I never said that." He frowned and put on his tunic again. I tapped the back of my hand with my fingers.

"Yeah… I guess." We were silent again. And that's when I felt the necessity to hear his voice again. "You know, about your money… I was robbed, I'm sorry…" Oh, forgot to say my confidence and my already stolen identity had been taken away as well.

"Oh…" I closed my eyes and waited for his answer. "It's ok…"

"Huh?"

"It's not like it was your fault, right?" My gaze fell to the floor as he said that, a quizzical look plastered on my face. When did he start being benevolent? My jaw moved, but it was until the third time that it did that the words came out.

"I guess." My eyes locked on the tips of my boots like if all the answers to my questions lay there. His next words made me drew my attention back to him.

"You're not going to tell me why you made me beat you up, are you?" He had finished putting on his uniform. He was leaning forward, elbows resting on his lap and eyes locked on the floor. My body tensed and this time, the words wouldn't come out, no matter how much I tried.

"Oi!" Everyone turned their attention to Pierce; there was a frying pan on his hand. "So…uh…How's going to cook?"

"Oh, I will!" I jumped off my seat and snatched the frying pan from his hand walking away as fast as I could, acting like I had forgotten about Asch's question. Saved by the bell.

I tried pushing his question out of my mind and focused on taking some ingredients from Pierce's bag. I must say, he was well equipped with useful items and supplies. I suppose it was because he is always traveling, doing his job and going from one place to another.

I was aware that it was the first time I was actually going to cook. So, to avoid screwing up, I ended up making some sandwiches. Pierce assisted me in the preparations, chopping lettuce and cheese over his wooden board. Having him as helper reminded me I still didn't know why he was in the Zao Ruins in the first place, so I asked again.

"I found Luke and the others at the Desert Oasis. No, actually, they found me." He snorted. "I'd just finished one of my jobs, taking some merchants from Baticul to the Oasis. I was at the inn, they came in and when I noticed you weren't with them. Well… they told me what happened..."

"Oh…" I bit my lip. "So, how much did they told you?"

"I…" He paused for a second. "You've to be careful the next time you go to Baticul…" I groaned. I can't believe they told him about what happened in Baticul. Pierce chuckled.

"It's not funny." I hissed.

"I wasn't laughing about that." He said, his eyes flickered to Asch. "You know, back at the ruins, I really thought you were going to kiss him..."

"Y-You…" I felt the heat growing on my cheeks.

"I'm not going to tell anyone if that's what you mean…" He said, placing the knife over the wooden board. "Though I have to admit, you almost broke my heart!" He placed a hand on his chest and faked pain in an exaggerated way. I'd to laugh at that, even when my face was still burning with embarrassment.

"You are such a blockhead." I sneered. He isn't as annoying as I thought he was.

Once we were done having dinner, everyone went to sleep. I sat close to the fire and hugged my legs, mulling over what had happened today. The underground lake, the hidden temple marked with the symbol of the Order of Lorelei and the wooden sign.

"Mt. Jimenah…" I mumbled to myself. Van had told me all the common knowledge Jude (the real Jude) had learned was also part of her memories. He said I woke up with her knowledge because only the dearest memories were the hardest ones to get. He said the memories of a person resembled a spider web. I never mentioned it because I didn't thought the comparison he made was important, but I had changed my mind.

Now I was certain, he meant something. Maybe some sort of pattern perhaps? I couldn't tell. But the point is… I was trying to figure out if that place never existed or maybe… Or maybe Jude never knew about it either? Well, not even the others knew about that place, so I guess you can't categorize that place as 'common'.

Well, mountains don't disappear just like that… It couldn't just vanish… Like it never existed… Hey, wait a minute. My body tensed as a new train of thoughts got to the 'station'. How can I be so sure I'm a replica when Jude is 'dead'? How can I believe it when I've never seen her before, like she never existed…? What the- WAIT! What? Wowowowowow, hold on a second!

Van… he was…he was really mad when he told me. He said I was never going to be as good as _her_, I saw it on his face. He wasn't lying. The medallion, the medallion- its power is… its real! But wait I, he, no, he said… He was lying? No, no, he wasn't. The medallion, the medallion is the key. I-I don't know what to believe anymore!

"Jude!" A low roar and someone shaking me made me realize I had spaced out. Spaced out in a heavier way than any other time, how come Asch had been standing in front of me, talking to me without even me noticing him? I guess it was all the…the replica dilemma.

"I-I'm here." I stammered. Yeah, don't worry I'm here, back at Auldrant.

"Are you all right?" He sounded a little worried. "You are shaking." I looked down at my body, yeah, indeed I was. I nodded, but he forced me to stand up, delicately I must say. That's far from odd.

He dragged me to the rock we had been sitting on when I treated his wounds, one of his arms wrapped around my shoulders as he did so. We plopped down on the rock at the same time, I must add that he didn't take his arm away from my shoulder, but it didn't bother me, I was still stupefied with all the thoughts that had raced inside my head.

"When did you- when did you woke up?" I asked, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

"I wasn't asleep." He began. "I told the others I'd take watch; I was just exploring the rest of the tunnel."

"And?"

"The tunnel ends right at the desert. We didn't even notice we've been ascending all this time." He scoffed. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow though, it's really cold outside." I nodded pathetically; I felt like one of the engines of my brain had broken, I could barely process the meaning of every single word that came from his mouth, as laggy as a really old fon tech computer.

"Are you cold?" He asked, wrapping his arm around me even tighter. I was too stupefied to care. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?" I nodded for a third time, I didn't know which one of his questions I had answered but I could care less. Maybe that's what I need…sleep…some sleep…

* * *

><p>Asch crooked his head and examined. Yeah, Jude had finally fallen asleep. He wasn't sure why his arm was holding her closer when he wanted to let go. He didn't know why his lips burnt ever since she almost kissed him, like it was said before, their lips didn't even touch. He didn't know why he didn't pusher her away when their faces had been just inches away. He didn't know why having Jude sit on his lap had sounded appealing for just half a second. He didn't know why he disliked Pierce but then again, Asch the Bloody never knew anything.<p>

Well, he did know a lot of stuff but lately, he didn't felt that way.

Lately, everything was new to him, new experiences, places and feelings. And he didn't like them. He hated mysteries, doubts, and everything that was beyond his knowledge. He liked being 'The One', 'The Only One'. The only one that knew this and that, he liked feeling superior because he had been certain that he was. But when Jude appeared again… something changed, he wasn't able to feel superior anymore, not because he didn't want to but because he didn't felt like that anymore.

He had seen Natalia not so long ago and…and he didn't know how to feel.

Everything had gone out of control, out of his hands and had been replaced by riddles and puzzles, ones that they never taught him to decipher. The Mausoleum…did Van know? And if he did, did he know about Mt. Jimenah as well…?

Jude, who was resting her head on his shoulder, shifted a little. Asch looked up and frowned, there was a figure resting at the other side of the tunnel. Sync was sitting on the floor, back resting on the wall and his head crooked slightly. The figure had been there all this time but something had changed, he had wake up.

Sync, who had been faking to be asleep for quite some time now, looked up at Asch when he saw the baleful look on his partner's face. Sync chuckled and Asch immediately knew what he was laughing at. "Shut up, Sync."

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><p><strong>So, to the point! I drew (chibi) Asch, Jude and Pierce; you can see them in my deviant art page. Link is in my profile!<strong>

**Also, I wanted to share a few songs I used while writing.**

**Trading Yesterday - Shattered**

**Ellie Goulding - Lights (I love that song, thanks Oli.)**

**League of Legends (LoL) - Ranked Song (I played LOL for like 2 months or less, my computer did BOOM! Which is why I use a crappy laptop now. I probably wouldn't be here writing if that hadn't happened.) Also, the people that have played LoL can understand from where I took out the name Jacko, slighty changed from Shaco. Well, it's also related to one of the books I'm currently reading but that another story.**

**So, yeah, have a wonderful weekend!  
><strong>


	14. Chapter 14: The Path of Regret

**HEY GUYS, YOU GUYS, HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS! SHORT CHAPTER! XD  
><strong>

**Ok, first off, there was a tiny mistake in last chapter, Jude accidently grabbed Luke's ass not the other way around.**

**Banana Pie: I'm certainly having fun adding new locations. Believe me, this story is getting so much better.~**

**I would appreciate some feedback guys, this story is really long and I would love to see what you guys think, even if you didn't like something I would love to know what that was.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 14: The Path of Regret<p>

I stared at the dune field with a lump in my throat; the sun shined upon the clear blue sky and even thought the cave that took us out - from the dark and humid atmosphere of the tunnels - was now behind us, I felt worse than ever. I felt a hole in my stomach, one that had been growing all this time without me realizing it.

But this wasn't about being a replica or not, it wasn't about betraying the others and running away, no, of course not. I woke up the next morning and neither Asch nor Sync where there, they probably left while we were sleeping and for some reason that made me feel terrible. I could barely remember my conversation with Asch last night.

I should have asked him what was going on with him, but what did I do? I melted in his arms with a stupefied expression and then fell asleep.

I woke that morning just beside Luke and I instantly knew something was wrong. Pierce, who woke before us, was the first one to notice they were gone. Luke was fuming since he never got to interrogate Asch about why they looked alike. I should have seen that coming but the truth is that it never crosses my mind, at least, not while Asch acted calmed and collected. Now, I was sure it had been just a façade and that last night was probably the last time I was going to see him.

"We finally made it." Pierce chirped, looking ahead, his voice echoed as his words reached the cavern that lay just two to three feet away, behind us.

"Where do we go now?" Luke crossed his arms. Pierce placed a hand on his forehead to cover his eyes from the sun and scanned the horizon from left to right. He stopped at one point of the panorama, his eyes lit up and a small smile tugged from his lips.

"We are lucky." He claimed, pointing at our next destination. "See that blurry spot right there? That must be the Desert Oasis!"

"I hope that isn't an illusion…" I pouted. Getting lost in the desert was the last thing I wanted.

"Well, I feel like crap!" Pierce beamed and looked at our blue blooded redhead, "You feel like crap?" Luke blinked a couple of times until the question sank on his brain and then nodded. "Then, that means everything will be fine!"

"Wha- Pierce, you're making no sense!" I growled, but he wasn't listening; he just marched away with optimism toward the location he pointed out, and Luke and I had no other option but to follow. The first time I meet Pierce I thought he was a weirdo, then I changed my mind when he promised not to tell anyone about me almost kissing Asch, but now… I didn't know what to think.

Well, at least I can tell he is definitely a good person, but that was it. I wonder if all the things that happened at the ruins affected him in some way, I mean, maybe he had another job to take care of after taking those merchants to the Oasis or maybe he needed to go to Chesedonia and help Astor with the guild.

However, if that was the case, he wouldn't look so optimistic and happy. I mean, just look at him! Where does he get all that energy? I'd be worried about losing my job if I were him, but it's not like we have been together long enough to actually know what he would do if he gets fired.

The heels of my boots dug into the sand as we trotted down over another dune, I'd love to take a bath once we get to the Oasis. Sand particles had slipped inside my clothes, which caused a really uncomfortable sensation all over my body. And oh Yulia, my sweat wasn't making it any better with all those particles gluing to my skin.

If that wasn't enough, the skin from my forehead, shoulders and arms was burning under the sun and my neck and butt hurt for sleeping over the rocky surface of those damn tunnels. My feet where starting to ache and my mouth was getting dryer by the second. I'm so going to kill Pierce if the Oasis is a damn illusion. Although, we _did_ drink enough water from the underground lake so hopefully, we weren't having hallucinations.

You know, a massage from one of those rocky-creatures would feel so good now. Hell, it would be a great way to exfoliate my skin as well. I went on daydreaming all the way to the Oasis, thinking of fresh water, massages and the soft, comfortable bed that was waiting for me at the inn. Those thoughts were keeping me alive and above my feet.

After a few hours of head tripping and walking at the same time, the Desert Oasis finally stood three or four feet away from us. Luke and I rushed to the Oasis and dove into the water. The burning sensation on my skin disappeared momentarily as the fresh and unusually cold water dulled the pain. I submerged my head in the water and felt the cold liquid touch my face, somehow revitalizing every part of my body.

I rose from under the water and found Pierce looking at us with a burlesque expression on his face. Damn him, he is already used to the extreme climate of Chesedonia and the desert! Luke and I stepped out of the water all soaked and dripping water, I was feeling so alive and relieved that even the hollow sensation in my stomach disappeared.

"Oh, Luke, thank goodness!" Natalia's voice made us turned around, Luke was caught off guard when the Princess of Kimlasca jumped and flung her arms around his neck, followed by Anise, who hugged one side of his waist, seeing as Natalia was almost climbing over him.

"Ohhh, Luke! You're safe!" Anise squeaked, almost singing, "We were on our way to look for you!" Pierce and I stared at them with blank expressions until another familiar voice called out.

"Jude!" Before I knew it, Tear was spinning me this way and that to see if I was injured. Only when she was sure that I was perfectly fine was that she looked me in the eye, for one second, I thought she was going to slap me.

"What's wrong with you?" She roared. "Why in the world did you jump onboard the Tartarus? They could have killed you!" I was glad that she wasn't able to see all the bruises under my clothes.

"Tear, I-"

"I was so worried about you!" She raised her hands into the air. "And then, you had to fall into that hole!"

"T-that wasn't my fault!" I stammered. Long story short, I'm just going to say she gave me the scold of my life. Pierce tried to 'soothe' her with a hug, and I had to yank a handful of his hair when I saw _that_ perverted look on his face.

Tear wasted no time and started to scold him as well, not because he was a pervert, but because he acted without thinking back at the ruins. We had no other option than to sit in a corner and listen to everything she had to say.

When she was done, we all headed to the market where we found Guy, Jade and Ion sitting on a long dining table with a map over it. They had been trying to figure out where the breach could have taken us. Jade had the theory that, if Pierce was able to make such a big hole on the ground, it was possible that there was some sort of passage beneath the ruins, and we knew he was right.

We explained what happened after falling into the hole, about the underground lake, the tunnels, the hidden temple, the sign and what it said. Just as expected, none of them had heard of Mt. Jimenah in their lives, not even Ion, which was even more suspicious when that hidden temple had the symbol of the Order of Lorelei.

We also explained that Asch and Sync had left when they saw the perfect opportunity to do so, which took our conversation to what happened to them when we fell into the breach. Apparently, the giant sand worm buried itself into the ground, which was the perfect opportunity to get out of there. Largo -more than anyone- knew that he wouldn't be able to fight the others alone, so he left while he could.

After another long discussion I wasn't paying attention too, I finally got the bath I had been dying for, the inn had a small backyard were they kept wooden bathtubs with cold water. The bathtubs had a small stool and were inside small wooden cabins, just for privacy.

I sank into the water and relaxed, everything was quite, it was perfect. I stayed like that for a couple of minutes, not really thinking about anything, just relaxing. Lately, I had been thinking too much, all those crazy ideas and feelings of guilt where not healthy at peace didn't last long, in a second, I was thinking about replicas, death and sins.

Yesterday, when I was thinking in front of the bonfire… I felt like I was going to go nuts. I closed my eyes and rubbed the soap on my arm, taking my time.

I was sure I was a replica, back at the prison Van was really angry but I was also able to perceive sadness as well. If he was really a liar then, I had the feeling he wasn't lying in that occasion. It's difficult to describe what's what makes me thinks that, but I know it's real. Perhaps it was something in the way he trembled, or the rage his eyes reflected, true pain.

Besides, the medallion's power is real, I've seen it work and I'm positive, I'm under some sort of curse. Jude's memories, knowledge and abilities were transferred to the medallion and given to me. I had the feeling that if I were the real Jude, Van would have shown real concern. I had the feeling Van and Jude had their own bond, a strong friendship.

Still and all, I was thinking about asking Jade if there was a way to know if 'someone' was a replica without having the original to show up. If there was a way then, that would set things clearer.

Right when I was getting out of the bathtub, someone knocked on the door of my cabin.

"Jude…Are you there?" That was Luke. What the hell is he doing here?

"Yeah, what is it?" I replied from the other side of the door.

"There is something you need to explain." His voice rang with a serious tone. I wrapped a towel around my body as soon as I got out of the bathtub. "The person you were looking for at the Tartarus. The one you mistook me with was Asch, right?"

Shit.

"I…well… It's not…I…there is…"

"So, you knew he looked like me." He spluttered. There is no way I can get out of this one.

"I meet him when I was with Van and the Order…" I began. "Then, I… I didn't… I didn't think it was important." 'You didn't think it was important?' Congratulations Jude, that's the best least believable lie you have ever said. I heard him scoff from the other side and then, what I'm pretty sure was a wooden bucket being kicked. Damn it, this can't be good.

"Well, the fact that he looks like you doesn't mean anything," I claimed, but I knew that would hardly convince him. Especially after the telepathic conversation they had when Ion and I were still captured. Hah, and I used to think he was stupid.

"You think I'm stupid?" He growled. I had the urge to say 'Maybe just- YES!' but I bit my tongue instead. I heard him curse and kick another bucket before stomping away, shutting the door with a loud thump. Yeah, well, fuck you too.

I waited for a few seconds just to make sure he wouldn't come back then, I opened the door of my small cabin and looked around before dashing to the ladies' room…

* * *

><p>I had been staring at the ceiling for five minutes or so, lying on my bed and already dressed. I was hoping to get some sleep but somehow, it turned impossible, I didn't even yawn at all. Maybe it was because of the conversation I had with Tear a couple of hours ago.<p>

She had come into our room (the inn was too small and there were only two rooms, one for men and the other one for us, women.) to check on me. I can't say our conversation was long or short, I'd say it was in between. We started talking about what had happen in the Zao Ruins before they appeared and somehow we ended up talking about Jude and her when they were little.

She said I (Jude) was really good at making up stories, ghost stories to be exact. That's the reason she wasn't surprised when I told Guy and Luke about the so called 'Cursed Black Widow'. I think remember someone saying something about Tear being afraid of ghosts when we were at the abandoned factory. Hah, I guess you can blame Jude for that little trauma!

When Tear left the room, I stayed there thinking.

As far as I can 'remember,' Tear was not this serious when she was younger. And still if Jude was her best friend then, she was trying to keep her distance. I was expecting her to be near me all the time when I meet her for the first time, back at Choral Castle. But no, it was like if she was giving me space…? Or trying to be as professional as possible, I don't know.

Or…could she feel something was wrong with me? Like…maybe I wasn't a perfect copy of Jude, and she could sense it. I pushed those thoughts off my mind as soon as my left eye started to sting.

Huh, it feels like it has been ages since the last time it stung.

I pressed my palm on my eye, the pain was not as strong as previous times, and it was fair to say I could undertake the pain without a problem. Compared to last time, this one was bearable. It made me wonder, was Van causing the pain? Or was it part of the medallion's curse? I was waiting for a memory to rush through my eyes but nothing happened. Well, ever since Van told me I was a replica, I haven't 'remembered' anything about Jude's past, which meant he had full control over the medallion's power.

I jumped off from my bed, and took a small notepad and a pen I found over my bedside desk. Then, I proceeded to draw a spider web, a really crappy-looking one; I'd starve as an artist, I'm not going to lie.

When I was done, I stared at it, trying to figure out why Van had compared a spider web with how the memories of a person work.

I suppose I can say all of a person's memories are connected by emotions. So, can I say that a grieving or melancholic emotion will bring out a memory from the same category…?

When I was eavesdropping at Choral Castle, something triggered the power of the medallion. And now that I think about it, the memory that I saw back at that time was when Jude and Tear where eavesdropping at the conference room, back at Yulia City.

Honestly, I can hardly remember what was I feeling back then, so there was no way to prove my theory. I ripped the page from the pad and placed it over the desk, I stared at it once again, and that's when someone knocked on the door.

I folded the piece of paper and shove it inside my bag. "Come in."

The door opened, the gorgeous and magnificent Jade the Necromancer came in and lit up the room with his sexy presence. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all." I grinned. "Something happened?" Jade took away his glasses and walked towards the window. Holy crap, he looks even better without them!

"No, nothing has happened." His eyes were locked at whatever was outside. "To tell you the truth, that's what has been bothering me."

I hate when people are vague with their words. "Can you be more specific?" I snorted, plopping over the bed again.

"When you jumped onboard the Tartarus, I thought you did it as a way to take advantage of the situation. After all, didn't you want to go back with Asch?" I was about to protest but he continued, "Instead, you helped Ion escape by trying to seduce him."

Oh, no… Not Jade! My face lit up with a soft red shade of embarrassment and...And anger, damn it!

"I… It was your fault!" I grumbled. "B-besides, what does that has to do with 'nothing has happened'?" Jade rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses again.

"You haven't presented symptoms since we left Baticul, have you?" He glanced at me with _that_ face, the one that scares the hell out of me. "Have your resolutions changed, as well as you have?"

I stood up, "What is it that you want to hear?" I dared, I wasn't even sure if we were talking about the same thing but my tone was just a defensive reflect.

"The truth…" He looked back at the window. Time stopped for about two minutes, neither him nor I moved or said anything. Then, his arm rose and he gestured me to come closer, his eyes still locked on whatever had caught his attention outside the window.

My hands turned into fists and I walked towards him with hesitation. He took two steps back and gestured me to look outside. I rested a hand on the window sill and looked outside. I saw Guy and Pierce having a conversation; I could only see their backs as they leaned on the wooden fence, looking at the dune fields of the horizon. Pierce had a cigarette on one hand.

Huh? I didn't know he smoked…

Before I could give Jade an inquiring look, he rested a hand on one of my shoulders and squeezed it, hitting a bruise, one of the ones that Asch left. One of my arms rooted for support on the window frame and a choking sound escaped from my throat. Jade, instead of letting go, squeezed even harder and the pain almost made me fall to my knees. I groaned.

"Oh… Is something wrong?" He sounded clueless, almost innocent, but he never let go. I knew that if I had turned around and looked at him I wouldn't have seen concern, but one of his enigmatic smiles. So, instead, I pushed his hand away and plopped on the nearest bed.

"I-I'm fine." I hissed, looking down at the floor. He stared at me with _that_ intimidating look again and I felt like I couldn't stay any longer without bursting into tears. "I need some fresh air." My voice cracked.

I didn't wait for his reply; I stood up and opened the door. I found a confused Ion at the other side, I guessed he was about to knock on the door. Instead of asking what he was doing there, I stepped aside and kept walking, not knowing where I was going.

* * *

><p>Ion stepped into the room and looked at Jade before closing the door behind him. The small Fon Master had the feeling Jade's attempt at persuading Jude had failed.<p>

"So we were both correct, after all…" Jade sighed. Ion dragged his feet and sat on the nearest bed, he had a really bad feeling about this. He had been worried over Jude even before seeing her attacked by Asch. He had seen Jude perform uncommon artes and that had been bothering him for a while.

Ion was positive he had heard about _that_ type of arte before, he didn't want to make a fuss about it. But of course, he had voiced his concern to Jade. The word 'aphotic' wasn't a good sign, he was sure about that. If only he was at Daath, maybe he could go to the Cathedral and search for-

"It would be easier if you could explain me how dangerous this situation can turn out to be." Jade huffed, placing his hands behind his back.

Ion looked up at him with an apologizing look. "Sorry Jade, it's confidential to the Order..."

* * *

><p>I walked out of the inn and looked around, I needed a distraction. Anything that could make me think about more cheerful topics or whatnot, something or someone that could make me forget about how guilty I felt. About how Tear, Jade and the rest of the group would look at me if they knew what I was up to, what Van was up to.<p>

The sky was adorned with mixed pigments of purple and amber as the gold edges of the sun merged with the terra-cotta tincture of the far-reaching mesa. It was beautiful, but I wasn't here to look at the view.

My eyes stopped looking around when Pierce came to view. He was alone now; Guy had probably left to do something else. It was perfect, Pierce was still smoking and I knew starting a conversation with him wasn't tough at all.

In fact, I considered him a good distraction; you never know what his answer will be when you ask him a question.

"Hey, Pierce." I said good-naturally, hah, or at least tried to sound that way. I was doing my best not to cry.

"Oh, hey, what's up?" He gave me a winning smile; he was holding a cigarette between his grooming and middle finger. I never imagined he would be the type of guy that smokes. I mean, look at his teeth they are all white and he doesn't look like he-

"Hello? Jude?" Pierce waved a hand in front of my face and I blinked a few times when I finally noticed he had been waiting for an answer.

"Sorry, I spaced out." I rubbed my head and gave him an apologetic look. "Anyway, I needed some fresh air but you are obviously busy contaminating it." My eyes fixed on his cigarette.

He chuckled. "Sorry, I can't help it." He said, turning around and sitting over the fence to look at me. "I do it from time to time, when I was younger I'd smoke a whole box daily." He grinned when I looked surprised. "Yeah, not healthy. Don't try it unless you want to have a gravelly and manly voice."

"I think I'll pass." I snorted and leaned on the fence. "How old were you when you started smoking?"

He twisted his lips while thinking. "Probably fourteen, can't remember." He placed the cigarette on his lips and sucked the nicotine before giving off some smoke.

I frowned. "How old are you now?"

"I turned eighteen this year." He said, with a tiny smile. "You know, when I was younger I was a little bit worried when I couldn't stop smoking. Then, I…" He paused and his smile died while the look on his face hardened. "Then, I stopped caring."

"Why?"

"Nah, it's not a big deal. It's really not that interesting. So… How long have you been an Oracle Knight?" He asked glaring at my uniform, disgust leaking out from his voice.

"Oh… I actually need new clothes; I'm no longer part of the Order of Lorelei." I sighed. "I lost my memory a while ago and was fired." I can't tell him I'm a replica! Can I…?

"Hah, that's the ever-compassionate Order of Lorelei for you…" He scoffed. Wow, he really doesn't like the Order; I wonder what his reason is. Well, it's time for my tactless self to appear!

"You hate the Order?" I asked. Well, you can't say I personally love them. I told you, those guys bring bad luck. I mean, I went to Zao Ruins with three of them and we got attacked by a horde of bats, a giant sandworm and last but not least, we fell into a hole.

"Let's say I'm not the Score's number one fan," he said, holding his cigarette between his teeth and resting his elbows on his lap.

"You… Hate Yulia…?" I have nothing against Yulia but I have the feeling that she might hate me.

"No, I don't hate her. Actually, I think she had a good intention, but writing the Score wasn't one of her best ideas."

"What do you mean?"

"I know a lot of people that suffered because of the Score. A lot of kids have been abandoned by their parents because the Score said they would do that. Others are so sick and dependant of it to cut a leg or hand because the Score said they would lose that part of their body, they think it's bad fortune if those things don't happen."

He stared at his hands and then continued. "Do you know what people do when they know it will rain?" I shook my head from left to right. "They keep the children inside their home so they won't get sick. Since some of them never get sick because of their parents, when they do for the first time they get pretty bad… Some of them die, just from a few drops of rain." He took the cigarette out from his mouth and threw it to the floor. "And also, some people stay poor because that's what the Score says, so they don't even try to progress."

"I'm really sorry…" I mumbled. He jumped off from the fence and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Hey, it's not like it's your fault. Besides, someday we're gonna dance with those lions." I raised a brown and he only smiled, surprisingly it was a warm smile, not a perverted smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" An inquiring look on my face.

"That one day people will live without the curse of the Score, like me." I gave him a stern look, I hate when people answers a question with a vague answer or with an even more confusing one. It's like answering a question with another question; I mean, seriously, what the hell?

Pierce laughed. "Sorry, I say a lot of bullshit whenever I smoke. Nicotine makes me feel wise sometimes, you know…"

He raised his hands and rested them at the back of his head. He then, turned on his heel. "Well, I need to go, we'll talk later."

"Later? Are you leaving for Chesedonia?" He turned around and started walking backwards.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. We'll be heading to Chesedonia tomorrow; I already talked with Jade about it, I'm low on money and supplies so I can't leave now. Anyways, see you later!" And before I could say 'good-bye', he was already gone.

I stared at the road ahead, the one that would take us to Chesedonia tomorrow. I thought I was going to feel better after talking with him but this type of things can't make it any better. I hadn't notice Pierce was so fucking interesting. Now I'm curious about him. Damn it!

He was an awesome distraction, but I really hated cliff-hanging conversations that will only turn on the snoopy side in me. Sooner than expected, my eye started stinging again or maybe I was too busy to notice the pain never left. Either way, a ticklish sensation rolled in on the tips of my fingers, well, only on my right hand. My eyes widened when I looked down at my hand, my fingers where moving on its own, twitching…

* * *

><p>The next day, we left the Desert Oasis and head to Chesedonia first thing in the morning. Of course, we filled our canteens with fresh water before going anywhere. I had been lucky enough to get one from Asch before heading to the Zao Ruins; whenever I see him I get free stuff, which is awesome. But now, who knows if I'll see him again. I suppose Van is doing his best to keep the mission of Azkeriuth a secret, otherwise Asch would show up. Yulia, I hope he doesn't, I'll kill myself if he does!<p>

At any rate, Pierce seems to have fit in pretty quickly with the rest of the party. Though, for some reason, I'm not surprised to see him getting along so well with Anise, given that she's so talkative and cheerful... Always.

He also seems to have gotten used to Luke's whining even before they tried to saves us at the Zao Ruins. I guess he got the opportunity to know the others a little bit when they were looking for Ion and me.

And now that I think about it, the only one I don't know well enough is Natalia, for obvious circumstances. You know, I thought her temper was worse than Luke's but I was wrong, she has proven to be respectful most of the time and really lady-like. So, you know, I might as well give it a go and try to get closer to her. Hopefully, she'll be willing to do the same. Having a princess with a good aim as an enemy isn't something I'm looking forward to, so I'll just have to cross my fingers and pray for everything to go smoothly.

I covered my ears when Luke started complaining again about the heat. Like, we all know it's fucking hot, so shut up! Sometimes his voice kind of drills a hole into your skull, it's hard to think when he is talking, I swear!

"Ugh, Luke, we all know it's hot!" I blurted out, "You don't have to remind us every five seconds!" No shit, I swear it was hotter than any other day; it wasn't _this_ hot when Ion and I were heading to the ruins with Largo, Sync and Asch. We could have cooked an egg with this heat if we had wanted to.

"Hey, I can say what I want, I'm the Ambassador here and you are supposed to do what I say!" He proclaimed with a poisonous look on his face, he is tempting me to use another one of Mr. Miyagi's tricks. Seriously, can't he learn about previous events, how can he still be like that when I almost choke him with his own hair?

The heat and his constant whining were driving me crazy to the point I wanted to shove his sword right up his ass. I counted to ten inside my own head and breathe deeply as he kept on babbling.

I tried balling my right hand into a fist though 'trying' was useless, ever since yesterday my fingers had been twitching constantly, even when my eye wasn't stinging anymore. Obviously I had been trying to hide it from the others by keeping my hands inside my pockets.

Honestly, what the hell is going on with me? If it's not my eye, then it's the memories and now, my freaking hand has a god damn tic. I don't know if I'll be able to-

"For the love of- Can't you shut up?" I roared and jumped over him while my hands wrapped around his neck.

Tear, Anise and Natalia were trying to pull me apart from him while Pierce and Guy trembled with fear. Ion, Jade (with a smile) and Mieu observed as the girls tried saving our dear Ambassador Luke fon Fabre, it was just the beginning of another long, long day.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey there, before I go on with some songs, you know, I've been thinking about making a fictionpress account for this original story I've come up with. (Hopefully, someday I'll be able to publish it.) I'm almost done with backstories of every character so I might start posting chapters, whenever I get free time to write them that is.<strong>

**Important: Btw, if you wonder why her hand has started twitching its just a tic cause by all the stress she is going through.  
><strong>

**Songs used in this chapter:  
><strong>

Flipsyde - Someday (dedicated to Pierce, you'll notice he said a piece of the song's lyric.)

Rihanna - Terminator (One of my fav. songs, I swear!)

Sick Puppies - Asshole Father (lyrics reminded me of Asch.)

Infected Mushroom - Heavyweight (Another of my fav. songs and the only one I like from I.M)

Emilie Simon - Rainbows (lyrics reminded me of Jude and her internal conficts. This song is so weirdly awesome, I love the trumphets specially almsot at the end!) I know, I have a weird (and variated) music taste, don't I? XD


	15. Chapter 15: Twisted Fate

**Hey. New. Chapter . **

**Songs:**

**Fifth Floor Music - Dream Maker (EPIC!) Jude  
><strong>

**Audiomachine - Masters of Fate (MORE THAN EPIC! *cries*) Pierce  
><strong>

**Lineage 2 - The Beginning of Gracia ( EPICZ! RAWR! OMG CHAOS! ) Jude at the end of this chapter. :P  
><strong>

**Disclaimer. ToA. Not. Mine. 'K. Bye.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: Twisted Fate<p>

After walking hours and hours through the desert, we finally got to Chesedonia. Oh, don't think it was easy, it wasn't at all. Tear scolded me about why attacking selfish aristocrats was wrong. Lorelei, she talked for hours.

Then Jade lighten the mood telling me to do as Tear said, otherwise I was exposing myself to get some sophisticated disease like cretinism or imbecility. See, why I love that guy?

And the best of all was Luke's reaction, too bad we were forced to stop teasing him since Mr. Ambassador travels with a bodyguard, two fangirls and his personal mascot. Not that it bothers me, though I'm pretty sure befriending Natalia will take more time than I expected and just a tiny bit of hypocrisy as well.

Yes, yes, I know I said really good things about her before, but you should have seen how she looked at me when I almost killed Luke back there. She looked like she was about to bite my head off and I'm damn serious here. She reminded me of a really angry liger that was currently going through mating season; I swear I even heard her snarl like one!

And that was just the beginning of the hellish trip ever, because for some reason, Anise spent most of the time teasing me about Pierce. That's how Pierce got to know I had a crush on Jade, I don't even know how in the world that became the main topic of our conversation. Seriously, it has been a few days since I casually confessed my feelings and they started talking about it until now?

Nevertheless, what ticked me off even more was when Guy told me they had the idea to strip Jade from his clothes when they were looking for Ion and me. Apparently, they believed his uniform was made of some sort of special fabric with anti-horrible-climate features. They wanted to take away his clothes… WITHOUT ME! That's…that's a sin!

So, you can imagine how happy I was when we finally got to Chesedonia. We briefly admired the characteristic active atmosphere of the city. Pierce turned around and looked at us with a nostalgic look on his face.

"Well, here is where we split apart guys." A downhearted tone was in his voice.

"Thanks, Pierce, for all your help." Tear said.

"Yes, you brought Luke safe and sound." That was Natalia, she was really grateful, I could see it in her eyes.

"Indeed, it would have been difficult without your assistance." Jade pushed up his glasses gracefully. Anise, Ion and Guy thanked him as well, even Mieu did. Tear gave Luke a disapproving glare and nudged him on the rib which was her way to say have-some-manners-and-thank-him-you-moron. Ok, maybe I made up the 'moron' part but he still deserves it. Luke glared at her briefly before spitting an experimental rough-sounding 'thank you', 'experimental' as in a way to see if those words would disintegrate his tongue.

I inched forward when it was my turn but my attention was redirected to the party when they started to walk away. "H-Hey where are guys going?"

"We are just give you guys a little bit of privacy~!" Anise beamed innocently while waving a hand, but I could see through her 'lovely' expression... pure evil.

"Good luck with that!" Guy teased. Everyone started giggling and grinning at us as they walked who-knows-where, probably to the inn. I blushed madly and heard Pierce snickering behind me; I turned on my heel and glared at him.

"T-That's not even funny." I protested, trying to sound aggressive though I only managed to show him how embarrassed I was. The others are definitely paying for this!

"You're right…I guess…" Pierce smiled weakly and scratched his head. It took me half a second to understand what he was talking about; apparently he had enjoyed the time he was with us.

"Hey, it's not like it'll be the last time we see each other." I lied; at least, he won't see _me_ again. Well, Jude, you are lying for the best of reasons, you can't back down now, we're just halfway.

"Yeah, I know." His smile grew larger, "Stop getting in trouble, ok? Don't make a hobby out of it!" I fidgeted with a strand of my hair and huffed at him.

"Whatever…" I turned around. "Take care."

"So I'm not getting a kiss this time either." I heard him complain and I couldn't help but smile at how innocent he sounded whenever he asked that. And in the deepest corner of my heart there was nostalgia, because those words would never come back.

Good times would never come back. Words without home, words that would never get a warm feeling, at least, not from me. And I dare to say; those words would get lost in time and call for someone else. Lost in 'what ifs?' and mere speculations of something that could have happened, of something that could have bloom, another fate.

"Nope, not from me." I snickered, following the direction the others had taken. Faking a good mood is so much easier when they don't look into your eyes. When you have both of your hands in your pockets, just so people won't see you're going crazy inside. Damn this tic!

I walked faster when I was able to visualize the party between the crowds and crowds of town folks, who were engrossed in whatever they were supposed to be doing. I slid between the obstacles that were in my way.

People are sometimes too absorbed in their tasks that they just become a hurdle. And you have to be careful with those kids that go around running and pushing people off their way. If someone trips, it's most likely that he or she can cause a domino effect.

I thanked Yulia when the party stopped walking and I took advantage of that to catch up with them. I waved a hand to them as soon as they received me again with a smile, everyone except Luke and Natalia that is.

"From here, we head by ship to Kaitzur, right?" Tear redirected her attention to Jade.

"If we go to the Malkuth consulate, they should show us to the ship." Jade replied curtly.

"So we are going to Kaitzur again…" I crossed my arms and frowned.

"Something wrong?" Guy asked.

"No, it's just, for some reason I don't like that place." And I was saying the truth, has it ever happen to you…? That you just simple don't like a place for an unknown reason? Well, that was my case with Kaitzur, I just don't.

Now that I mentioned that, has it ever happened to you with a person? You simply just don't like a person but you don't even know him or her…? I'm ashamed to say I might feel like that towards Natalia and I sure she feels the same. Though, maybe I'm just-

"Not again!" My eyes fixed on Luke immediately. His eyes were closed tightly, he brought one of his hands to his face and gritted with a painful expression on his face.

"Luke! Another headache?" Guy frowned, "They are becoming more frequent…"

"Another headache…?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"He has been having headaches ever since he was kidnapped." Natalia answered and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, there was no sign of hostility in her voice, just concern. In other words, Luke has been having headaches his entire life as a replica.

"I-It's gone now. I'm okay." Luke assured, though he looked like he wanted to fall asleep right there.

"No, you should get some rest just in case." I was impressed at how authoritative Guy's voice sounded like, nothing like a servant.

"Then let's go to the inn." Anise's voice reminded me that she was just beside me. She is so tiny! "We have to decide what to do about Ion, too." Has anyone notice how people talk about Ion like if he wasn't right there?

I gave Ion a small pat on the shoulder and he returned the gesture with a smile. Luke agreed though he didn't look so convinced about wasting time. The trip to Akzeriuth turned out to be way longer than we expected, especially with all those things that happen at the Zao Ruins.

Jade and the others also discarded the idea of taking Luke to a doctor since we were in a hurry to get to the mining city, whereas, there was no way to take off the worried looks on Tear's and Natalia's face.

We were a few steps away of the inn when I noticed Luke wasn't around. I turned on my heel and scanned around the area. It didn't took me long to find him, he was not so far away but he had placed a hand over his face again. He started walking to the opposite direction.

"Huh? Where is Luke going?" My question made everyone turn around.

"Shut…up..." Luke hissed, though he didn't seem to be talking to me…or anyone in particular. We all stared at him as he started to walk toward us. However, it seemed he was having difficulties to get all the way here; his body was tense and each step he took looked like a real challenge. Like he was trying to force his body to go that way.

Luke stopped halfway and curled to rest his hands on his knees. He looked exhausted even though he had taken two or three steps.

"Master! Are you all right?" Mieu glided towards him but moved away when he caught a glance at the baleful look on his master's face.

"Luke!" Natalia looked concern but didn't dare to approach him. I must say, that look on his face was quite familiar. I shook my head in disbelief. _He_ finally made it… Oh, fuck.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Tear asked.

"Shut up!" He growled. "Stop controlling me!" Tear, who was unsatisfied with Luke's answer, approached him. It took him less than a second to whip out his sword and attack. It took me the same about of time to pull Tear away and block his attack with my own sword.

I'm not even sure when my hands left my pockets or when I unsheathed my own sword. It was just an instinct, one that wasn't mine.

Our blades had met and a soft screeching sound reached our ears when his blade slid against mine. Our arms trembled from all the force we were using against each other, leaning on our toes and using all the weight of our bodies. There was so much tension between us and the blades that it felt like they were about break.

The worst part was that now, people were looking at us with frighten expressions.

I had seen all that, even when it all had happen in a blink of an eye. And my words came as quick as this situation was. "Asch! Stop it!" Did I just say 'Asch' out loud? ... Fuck!

"Luke, what are you doing?" Tear's cry slammed into my ears. The baleful look on Luke's face vanished and was replaced with pure shock.

"It…it's not me!" There was panic in his voice. "My body's just…! S-stop!" The pressure he had been exerting vanished as his hands and muscles loosen. He took two steps away and fell on his back, collapsing onto the floor...

* * *

><p>I curved into a ball as soon as I plopped down on the bed across Luke's. There was silence between us as we watched him sleep. Everyone was lost in their own train of thoughts. And I wondered if they had noticed I said 'Asch' instead of 'Luke.' I didn't want more interrogations; at least I knew I wasn't getting that from Jade this time.<p>

Honestly, what's wrong with Asch? That guy is going crazy doing stuff like that.

"…What's happened to Luke?" Our eyes fixed on Guy, who had spoken and was now more than just concerned. Anise sat next to me.

"Hmm, health problems, huh…?" She rubbed her hands against each other and whispered to herself. "If I have to nurse someone, I'd be better off with a rich geezer who's ready to kick it…" I bit my lip and tried not to laugh, so that's why she is after Luke…

"Did you say something Anise?" Natalia, who was right beside her fiancée, asked.

"Nothing~! Hee hee~." That girl is pure evil; I wouldn't be surprised if she really was the 'Cursed Black Widow'.

Tear, who had also heard what Anise said, decided to ignore the comment. She probably didn't felt like scolding now. "Colonel, do you have any idea what's wrong with Luke?" All of our eyes fixed on Jade at the same time.

"Hmm…"

"Could it have something to do with that man who looked like Luke?" Natalia asked. My body tensed and Natalia looked at me from the corner of her eye with a brief glare, "The one _they_ called Asch?" Of course, her action didn't go unnoticed.

"…I'd prefer avoid commenting at this point." Jade replied. Before Guy could complain, I stood up and walked towards the door.

"Jude, you know what's happening, don't you?" Guy asked. Well, actually it sounded more like a statement. I glanced at him from over my shoulder.

"Guy, everyone… I'm sorry, I've nothing to say. I don't think I'm capable of explaining without crying." I twisted the doorknob and stepped out of the room.

"Wait! Jude, where are you going?" Tear asked and I turned around this time.

"I just need to take a stroll…" Tear looked at me briefly and then closed her eyes heaving a sigh. She approached and took my hand to place her wallet on it. I gave her an inquiring look.

"We are running out of supplies… Can you please buy some stuff before we leave?"

"Oh… S-sure…" And just like that, I closed the door behind me and walked out of the inn. I knew I would have seen a crestfallen expression if I looked at a mirror, but I decided to shrug off the dejected feelings that had built inside me. My mind filled quickly with many thoughts, wondering if Luke would ever get to know…

* * *

><p>As soon as Jude left the room, everyone (except Luke, who was sleeping.) dedicated an inquiring look towards the young Locrian Sergeant. Tear, whose eyes had fixed on the door for a whole minute, frown as she noted everyone's attention had been directed to her.<p>

"W-what?" She stammered. She never liked being the center of attention. Since no one answered, Guy decided he should be the one to voice their opinion. After all, they always make him explain everything anyway.

"Your best friend is depressed…" Guy began. "And you… sent her to the grocery store…?" You can bet his last sentence sounded disapproving.

"I am disappointed in you, Tear," the small Fon Master Guardian said sadly.

"I was expecting more of you as a member of the Order." Even Natalia expressed her disconcert while wrinkling her nose.

"No…I…" The look on Tear's face hardened, "None of you would understand!"

Jade gave her a speculative look from over his glasses. "My, my, there is no need to act all defensive. Besides, I'm pretty sure even I know how to cope with friendship trivialities."

Tear huffed and sat on a nearby chair. She was sure no one could understand her position, for her, duty was always ahead of personal matters… That's what Major Legretta always said. Besides, there were some matters about Jude she didn't want to discuss…

* * *

><p>I walked around the city without a particular destination, I knew I was supposed to go to the grocery store but that could wait a little longer. For a moment, the pulsing waves that had been running through the nerves of my right hand stopped, which was a relief since I didn't have to keep my hands inside my pockets anymore.<p>

So I wandered around and stared at the merchandize from the stands like homeless people do. I wasn't sure why but the fact that Tear didn't care about what I knew made me feel a little… strange. Almost… rejected.

But I knew feeling like that was the stupidest thing in the world, I'm not her friend anyway. Though I'm pretty sure I'm simply going crazy, if she doesn't care then that's better, at least I won't get interrogated from her.

"Jude, you're stupid." I mumbled. Hey, I'm not even sure if I'm talking to myself or the real Jude anymore.

The space between my eyebrows narrowed. Ok, Jude, stop being so stupidly emotional and deal with what you've got. Tear doesn't give a fuck, you don't like Luke, Anise is a man eater, Guy is Luke's whore… Jade doesn't even have any interest on you, Natalia is a total bitch, Mieu's voice is annoying and Ion is too good, he might be fake!

See? They all have something you don't like, so who cares about them? Me? Nope, not at all. They are all a bunch of idiots. Oh, but I'm not done yet. Asch is a dick! And Pierce is… he is… a pervert… or just…

I stopped walking and heaved a sigh. My train of thoughts had gone really good until that point. The point where you run out of insults and ideas, the point when there is nothing left to say because you know that no matter what you say, you're only denying that you care. Everything is just a ball of mixed feelings.

For the first time in minutes, I paid attention to where I was. I'm not going to lie, most of the type I don't even know where I'm going. Too busy ranting inside my head.

My eyes scanned the area; I was standing right beside a weapon shop. Swords, daggers, axes, bows and staffs were on display. My lack to execute more monologues forced me to take a closer look; I could at least take a look at this stuff while I still had some spare time.

I was going through every little detail from one of the daggers on the stand, when a familiar voice sounded at the distance.

"Hey – Wow! C-calm down!" I turned to my right. Pierce was just a few stands away from me and I instantly felt stupid for being all overdramatic when I was supposed to be seeing him for the last time.

I was only facing his back but I could see who he was talking to, said person was so tall that Pierce barely got to _his_ shoulders. The man was holding a large wooden club in one of his hands.

"Look Pierce," The man began. His voice was so loud everyone could hear what he was saying. "You'll pay for it, one way or another. So you better give my stuff back before things get dirty!" The man said, swinging his club defiantly.

"Red, you're not even listening to me!" Pierce protested. "I must have lost it when I fell from that breach. I swear I didn't steal it!"

"What?" The enormous man snarled. "You think I actually believe you went to the Zao Ruins? Don't make me laugh!" Why do I have the feeling I might end up involved in this?

I shook my head and stomped all the way to where the commotion was taking place. Entering to the conversation as unceremoniously as interrupting a wedding. "Excuse me, sir. What's going on?" I was talking to Mr. Light Pole.

He glared at me; his expression was definitely saying 'who the hell are you?'

"Jude…? What are you doing here?" I ignored Pierce's question and raised a brow at the bully, I was still waiting for his answer.

"Pierce's job was to bring me an expensive relic from Baticul. Now he's saying that he lost it while going to some ruin, which I don't believe at all!" The man replied. And Pierce complained about it, though I wasn't actually paying attention to anything he was saying.

"How much did it cost?" I asked cunningly.

"Twenty-five hundred gald."

"Pfffffff!" The man gave me another dirty look due to my response, but I ignored it as I reached for Tear's wallet, I really didn't have time for bullshit. Tear had about seventy-five hundred gald in total, which meant she would have to stick around with only five thousand; there goes the money for our supplies… That's great. I took out the required money and placed them on the man's gigantic hand. "Dude, I wipe my ass with twenty-five hundred gald!" I scoffed before taking Pierce's hand and walking away, forcing him to come with me.

Pierce was just as confused as the man who had been seconds away to beat his ass, although I think said man was pleased since he didn't run after us or anything. I dragged Pierce through the streets, not caring if he would snap out from his head trip or not.

But eventually, he did.

"W-What the hell was that about?" He stammered. I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

"I'm not sure, but you better get me some damn, cheap supplies before I change my mind and slap you with a sheet of sandpaper…"

A couple of hours later, Pierce and I were done getting out supplies. I must say, it wasn't easy at all. We had to go to the Ant Lion Man's 'layer' and make a deal with him. His sand hole was filled with a large variety of supplies. From gels of every variety to actual food like meat and rice. At least the people that threw all that food in hole had the decency to do it them while they were still in their package. Sand breaded meat wasn't something I was looking forward to taste.

Of course, as I said before, we had to make a deal with the Ant Lion Man to take all that stuff. Can you guess what did we trade for all that stuff? (You'll never guess.)

We trade nothing more than a portion of cheesecake Pierce had been carrying around for some reason. Our Casanova had taken out all kinds of weird stuff from his bag as he tried to find something that would look appealing to the Ant Lion Freak. Something he didn't accomplished until he took out the last item, cheesecake.

Pierce ran a hand through his hair, a signal of victory. And after shoving all those supplies into my bag, we were ready to head back to the inn. However, we encountered a little problem once we got there; Luke and the others were gone.

According to the inn's receptionist, they had head to the Malkuth consulate not so long ago and that they said I should catch up with them there. In consideration of not knowing where the hell the consulate was, Pierce offered to take me there and I had no other option than to take the offer.

Nevertheless, this time his presence didn't seem to be bothering me that much. Well, he isn't a pain in the ass when he is in 'decent person' mode. From what he told, he hadn't been having much luck since we got to Chesedonia. He was laid off from every single job he had accepted before going to the Zao Ruins and also, Astor replaced him with another guy as well.

That could explain why he was having an argument with one of his costumers in the first place. And it made me feel bad that it was our fault. However, he acted like he didn't care; he even said he had no problem finding another city where he could reinstall his deeds and said that a change of scenario wouldn't be so bad either.

I would have offered him to go with us to Azkeriuth, but I knew there was no purpose in doing that since going there wouldn't bring anything good. Also, I don't think he would have accepted in the first place since that place was going to be infested with Oracle Knights.

Pierce had already pointed out where the consulate was; we could see it ahead. I thanked Yulia since I was already sick of the heat and sand of the desert. I just wanted to take the first boat and get out of there as soon as humanly possible.

"Uh…. Jude…" Pierce turned around, unintentionally blocking my way. I think…

"What is it?" I stepped back.

"I just… I just wanted to ask you something."

"Hmmm? Go ahead."

"It's that…well… Maybe, once you guys are done with Azkeriuth… Well, since you aren't an Oracle Knight anymore… You could…uh…" Pierce rubbed his neck and took a deep breath to reorganize his thoughts. "Maybe you could help me out doing deeds once you guys are done with Azkeriuth…"

My mouth dropped open with pure shock. I was speechless to say the least and that last sentence was now swirling around my head. My brain was incapable to absorb what he had just said. It was like saturating a sponge with water, there was too much information that hadn't been devoured yet, information that was probably now floating in some sort of limbo inside my head.

"Jude…are you… all right…?" His eyes narrowed when he looked down at _something. _"JUDE! Answer me!" His eyes were still fixed downward, and I followed his gaze in curiosity. As soon as I spotted the 'problem', my eyes widened.

My right hand was twitching again, that's what his eyes were fixed on and I instinctively wrapped my other hand around it to force my fingers to halt the tic. He must have seen panic on my face because he was now shaking me violently, asking if something was wrong with me.

My eyes were locked on his but my brain wasn't registering anything. My head felt hollow and there was a strange sensation at the pit of my stomach. I was scared, however, I didn't know if it was because Pierce was now shouting at me or because my brain hadn't still come up with lie to answer his question.

My eyes were finally able to look away from his grey eyes but immediately fixed at a green blob behind him, right at the entrance of the consulate. Said green blob started to run at the opposite direction. It didn't took me long to identify the despicable God- General.

"That's Sync!" I shrieked. Running after the fourteen year old kid.

"Wha – Hey, wait!" And Pierce followed after me. But by the time that we got to the consulate's entrance, he was nowhere to be seen.

In that moment, the double doors of the consulate opened widely and Tear and the rest of the party came out, though something was wrong with Guy, he was leaning on Luke for support and he didn't look quite well.

"What happened to Guy?" I asked with concern.

"There's no time to explain. We need to get out of here for Guy's sake." Tear grabbed my hand and dashed towards the port, followed by the rest of the party and leaving a really confused Pierce behind…

* * *

><p>As you can expect, we left Chesedonia's wharf in a matter of minutes. Though I still didn't understood why there was so much urge to leave like that, it didn't took long to the others to explain me what had happen.<p>

According to Jade, someone had implanted a curse slot on Guy's arm, which can allowed the user of the curse control the body of his/her victim at their will. Ion (who chose to go with us to Akzeriuth over returning to Daath.) said the power of the curse was stronger depending at the user's proximity.

For me, it was obvious who the user of said curse slot was, what else would Sync have been doing there? The curse Sync had implanted on Guy was somehow similar to the curse of the medallion, so, is my curse a curse slot too?

At any rate, we were now heading to Kaitzur. Once there, the next location was Deo Pass and then, we would finally get to Akzeriuth. Another reason why we had left Chesedonia so suddenly was because Van sent a message saying that he would proceed to Akzeriuth with a vanguard unit, and we needed to catch up with him.

Without saying much, I gave Tear back her money and the supplies Pierce and I had taken from the Ant Lion Man. After that, I avoided contact with any of the party members; I really didn't want more interrogations and stuff. I locked up in my room and I abstained myself from coming out when it was dinner time, I wasn't really hungry anyway.

Tear tried to convince me otherwise but I declined her offer as polite as possible. That's how I spent much of the day lying on my bed, looking at the ceiling of my room, lost in time and also lost in Pierce's last words. I just couldn't believe I was actually considering his offer. I didn't had anywhere else to go after Akzeriuth, so why not?

I tried to forget about that, pulling out the folded paper (the one with a spider web drawn on it) and trying to decipher more about the memory system. Where did Van learn this anyway? Did someone told him or is it one of those things you find in books? Well, it didn't matter for now since my brain was dryer than Chesedonia's desert thanks to today's events.

After smashing my head on the wall several times, I decided I need to take another stroll. I got out of my room around midnight, which could explain why all the lights had been turned off. I walked all the way to the bow's ship, the moon and the sidereal fon belt hanging from the sky looked mesmerizing in contrast with the dull waves of the ocean.

I leaned on the railing and inhaled the salty smell of the ocean as the wind blew my hair away from my face.

"So I'm really going to betray the others after all…" I mumbled. "They won't see me again once everything is done." Saying it aloud made feel relief in some way, it was like if those words had been stuck inside my chest for some time and were now coming out. "Van will take Tear away and everything will be over… I'm almost there…"

If you ever wondered how it felt having all that guilt building up inside me, it was like picking rocks along the way and shoving them into my bag, making it more difficult to bear as time went by.

"So that's what everything is about?" I turned around when I heard _his_ voice.

"P-Pierce, what are you doing here?" I felt the temperature of my body decrease considerably in a matter of seconds.

"I was worried about you; you didn't look well at all so I hid in the boat's storage room…" He walked closer, the light of the moon made him look pale and his grey eyes looked cold. "Don't change the subject, I heard what you said."

"Y-you… I-I don't know what you're talking about." I failed at trying to sound calmed and collected.

"You're hand is shaking again…" He pointed out. I looked down at it, he was right.

I don't want more questions! I wanted to run to my room and lock the door again, and I tried, but Pierce grabbed my arms when I tried to sprint away.

"Leave me alone!" I roared.

"I'm not here to judge you!" He countered, but I pushed him away.

"And you shouldn't." I began, "You've no idea what I'm going through."

"Well, that's why I'm here; I need you to tell me." I shook my head.

"You don't know what you are getting yourself into." I snarled.

"I want to help you," He took a step forward and I stepped back. "Even if you still are with the Oracle Knights." I didn't even notice when the tears started to run down my face, my right hand was shaking uncontrollably.

He tried reaching for my hand but I pulled away again, this time I unsheathed my rapier (I had been too lazy to unstrap my belt when I was at my room), and threatened him with the tip of the blade.

"I-I'm warning you…" My voice cracked. And I couldn't keep my hand steady; every part of my body was shaking now. I was so scared this could ruin everything and if that happens, I would be trap in the curse forever, forever as a puppet. So, when Pierce inched forward again… I… I don't even know how it happened, I just closed my eyes and my left arm (the one holding the sword) jerked.

I felt how the tip of my sword went throw fabric and flesh, and when I finally opened my eyes, I saw blood and a horror look plastered on Pierce face. An expression mixed with fear, shock and pain, all at once.

I took out the blade out from chest while panicking. I was trembling, horrified for what I had done. And even when his clothes were tinting with blood, he didn't make any sound, and that horrified expression never vanished. The rapier fell from hands and clattered to the deck.

"No I didn't – Pierce, I swear I didn't want to – I-I-I'm sorry!" Pierce stepped back until he found railing to maintain his balance. I had the impression he hadn't been breathing until then because he was breathing heavily now and a wheezing sound would escape from his throat every time he did, like if there was no oxygen around him, like a fish without water.

And I was too shocked to do anything; my feet were glued to the wooden floor. But the tears never finished. I had hurt the only person that had offered me a future, I wasn't a replica… I was a monster.

"I'll be fine…" He wheezed. "Jude, don't…worry… ok?" I didn't know how but I managed to nod, even when I knew he was wrong. "Good…" He mumbled, and right before my eyes, he fell on his side (the side he was resting on the railing) and off the boat. I instinctively covered my mouth, because of two things: One, I never expected that to happen and two… I wanted to scream… to cry.

* * *

><p>EDIT: CHECK OUT DEVIANT ART, EXPERIMENTING WITH PIERCE AND SAI.<strong><br>**

**SO THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE TWO STEPS AWAY FROM HELL! xD**

**Pierce: Why would - Why would you do that? !**

**HappyStab: Shut up, I have a sheet of sandpaper.**

**Pierce: ;(**

**Hey there! **

**So, I've also started writing the first chapter of my original story, so I'll probably make my fictionpress account soon, though I might not update so quickly with my OS, SoO takes time guys. **

**(I must say I put even more effort on that chapter than Seal of Oblivion itself, and I 'm ashamed to say I'll use all my potential as a writer in my orginal story and not in this one. No, but seriously the tiny bit I've wrote on my first chapter is way better than any of SoO's chappies!)**

**Anyway if YOU, yes YOU, have an original story in FictionPress then, send me the link, I'd love to read it. And if you want, I can give you my opinion and maybe a comment...? (Just if you want, lol.)  
><strong>


	16. Chapter 16: Two Steps Away from Hell

**AGH, weird chapters are so...weird.**

**Anyway, to Ginga no Younsei, I'm really sorry, I understand the situation perfectly so let's just forget about that, ok? GOOD.  
><strong>

** Oh, about Pierce, he is fine. He is just having a little vacation because plot bunnies almost ate his face. MMMHMMMMM, he is still breathing. So, yeah, enjoy! Sorry if there are mistakes, its 2 am and I feel SLIGHTLY STUPID. **

**OH ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT - Have in mind that the person narrating the memory fragments is and will always be THE REAL JUDE, it's her memory after all.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Chapter 16: Two Steps Away from Hell<p>

Largo the Black Lion scanned the area with cautious eyes; he inched forward and looked back at his unit of soldiers. The God-General frowned at them; he could hear the noises their armors made as they trembled like little girls.

A dirty look from Largo the Black Lion, and everyone straight up their posture as he towered over them. Soldiers these days were pathetic, he thought.

He could still see that the guys standing in the front line were trembling; the rest of his unit was probably in the same scaredy-cat state. However, it was impossible for him to see their faces with such poor brightness; they were at one of the tunnels from the underground passage Asch and Sync had found in the Zao Ruins, after all.

Sync and Largo had reported what happened to Van and had also informed him of the hidden temple beneath the ruins. After receiving that message, Largo and his unit had been ordered to investigate what that temple was about.

Sync had head to Chesedonia after that while Asch… Well, Asch just disappeared again, like he always do, he likes to run around and do who-knows-what. Probably what all grumpy teenagers do; Largo didn't actually care what that was… Not now.

"Soldiers!" He roared.

"Yes, sir!" the group of incompetents replied.

"We have been called for duty. Dorian General Grants is counting on us to complete this mission and I won't let any sissies or cowards get in our way. Have you understood?"

"Yes, sir!" He got as a reply.

Largo turned around, "Good then, we-"

"S-Sir…?" Largo turned on his heel again, his eyes locked on the tiniest wimp of the group.

"Yes, Timmy?"

"I-I… I have a question sir." Timmy said from inside his oversized helmet. The echo of said helmet made him sound like a constipated wombat.

Largo raised a brow. "Go on soldier…"

"I-Is it true that there is a huge sandworm living here?" The young man stammered.

"Yes, that's correct Timmy." Largo answered drily. "Anything else?"

"Ye-yes..." Timmy replied as he turned around to point at the figure that had been following them in silence. "Who's that?"

Largo's expression hardened as he looked at the figure. A man with long black hair and a mask had been following them since the start of the expedition. According to the letter Van had sent him, this man was essential for this mission. What was his name…? Jacko...?

The man called Jacko walked to the front, the tail of his long black cloak danced behind him. "Haven't we lost enough time?" The man asked. "I would like to take a look at the temple…"

Largo huffed and put his unit on march again. They went through the many natural tunnels Sync and Asch had used to get out of that place. And just like them, they had to use torches to light up the bloodcurdling path.

After many hours of search, the hidden temple finally showed itself at the end of the last tunnel. There were a few torches that were still on, clear sign that Sync and the others had been detected by whatever force was guarding the temple.

Now that they stood in a place lit by a dozen of torches, Largo could have a better image of the masked man. He was wearing black gloves and Largo could see he was also holding an oval shaped mirror. At the back of his cloak, there was a blue symbol, three intertwined rings and a pair of wings on each side. Familiar isn't it…?

Then, he was able to appreciate the details of his mask. The mask was basically divided in two parts; the left side was black and had a sad expression while the right side had a smile, almost a burlesque one, both faces were incomplete since the dividing line ran from the forehead to the chin.

Hah… And he used to think Sync was special for wearing a mask… What reason could Jacko have to wear one?

Jacko examined the stone gate of the temple for a few minutes. Largo could hear him mumbling something; his voice was too soft to understand what he said. Then, Jacko turned on his heel and looked at the God-General.

"Just as I thought, it's one of them!" He said, the tone of the man's voice indicated him he was delighted with the discovery.

"If that's the case," Largo scratched his beard. "Should we open it?"

"No, we won't find anything inside..." Largo raised an eye brow. They had came all the way here just to take a look?

"Then, why have we come here?" Largo asked. Jacko turned around and glanced at the temple.

"_We_ just wanted to make sure this place was still here. Mt. Jimenah was a beautiful place…" Jacko mused from under his mask. Largo couldn't stop staring at the man; there was something about him he didn't like. Though it was impossible for him to say what it was. Was there really a mountain here…? If so, what happened? Where was it?

"We must get out of here. If Gyaros founds us here, he'll open the gate and things could get dirty."

"Who's Gyaros?" Largo asked.

"The sandworm. He guards this temple." Jacko said. In that instant, the loud sound of rocks grazing against each other reached their ears. The unit of soldiers gasped when the gate of the temple opened by itself.

"Wha-What's going on?" A soldier yelled.

"Gyaros already knows we are here!" Jacko snapped. "Be on your guard!" Largo took out his scythe and ordered his soldiers to be alert. Almost instantly, miasma started to flow out from inside the temple. The poisonous mist spread around their feet, staying low, as if someone was pushing it to the floor.

"Gyaros has the ability to control miasma, don't stop looking at your feet." Jacko ordered.

"W-Why?" A soldier asked. But before he could get any answer, a large tentacle of miasma grabbed him from one of his feet and slammed him to the wall of the cavern. Largo stared in shock as more tentacles attacked his unit, smashing, throwing and killing. All at once.

The soldiers cried as the merciless tentacles crushed one by one. Blood spilled on the floor more than once. Largo barely moved, he had never seen something like that before.

Jacko stood beside him, watching like he was looking at some circus show. Largo could have sworn he heard the cry of a monster –it sounded just like the sandworm that attacked them at the ruins- at the distance. That monster…was doing this. How?

Jacko cleared his throat. "Could you hold this for second?" The masked man pushed his mirror into Largo's hands. The Black Lion was too overwhelmed to say yes or no.

Jacko inched forward, full with confidence, even when the miasma tentacles were moving and jerking threateningly at him.

"This will only take a couple of seconds…" Jacko mused as he removed his mask. Largo wasn't able to see his face, but that didn't matter. As soon as Jacko took off his mask, somehow, the entire miasma started to be sucked up to his face like a vacuum.

The venomous mist twisted as it was pulled by a strange force into the mysterious man's face. The wind currents that where pulling the corrupted fog were strong enough to turn off a few of the torches that where hanging from the walls.

When he was finished, he placed the mask on his face again. Largo couldn't believe what his eyes had seen nor did he believe that his entire unit was dead now.

"What the…" Largo shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell was that? That was-"

"That, my friend… Can't count as my real ability…" Largo had the sensation Jacko was grinning behind his mask. The masked man ignored the horrified look on Largo's face and snatched his mirror from Largo's hands.

Then, he turned around. "We must get out of here now; my leader is a little bit impatient, you know..."

* * *

><p>"Jude, you should eat something." Tear said, concern leaking out of her voice.<p>

"I'm not hungry, thanks." I replied curtly and sat in front of the bonfire.

"But, you haven't eaten in days!" She protested. "You're worrying all of us, you know?" I scanned the campfire just to find everyone was looking at me. Most of them look at me with unease and when I say most of them, I'm referring to everyone except Luke and Natalia.

I sighed. "I'll be back." I stood up and walked away.

Lately, taking strolls had been my way to avoid pretty much everyone and everything. Everything that had nothing to do with Pierce didn't matter anymore.

It was a nightmare, one that would never end. The last time I was able to sleep was the day before I stabbed Pierce on the chest, after that, it was like I were still on that day. It was impossible to close my eyes at night, and I lost appetite as well.

The lack of food and sleep had turned me into a zombie, dead eyes, and pale –almost grey –skin.

We were in the field now and heading to Deo Pass. We didn't stay much time in Kaitzur, we practically jumped off the boat and kept walking until we were tired since Luke was abessed with trying to catch up with Van. I barely had memories about what the others had been doing while I was at the first phase of my zombie state.

It felt strange; it was like skipping one page of a book. I didn't have any idea of how the hell we had got here. The only thing I knew was that I couldn't hold my sword like I used to, it didn't felt right. Collecting fonons became difficult, again. It was impossible to concentrate and pull out an arte.

I was even more useless now than what I had been before, and I was pissed because of that. I didn't have any problem killing soldiers, but Pierce… Pierce was Pierce. And also, I couldn't take out of my mind the fact that he was unarmed… I killed someone that wasn't threatening me; I killed a harmless person, someone with good intentions.

Still, I couldn't believe I hadn't told anyone. But what can I say? Many things had changed since that time I was in Baticul. There was no trace of the brave girl I had once been, she got lost along the way. The only thing left was my sanity and I was losing it as well, little by little.

I was wishing to be merged into one of _her_ memories again; I wanted to be someone else, just for one second… to be a normal person with a normal life or something close to that. Away from the Order and that bullshit, just the way Pierce had been trying to live.

I got to a nearby hillock and sat there, I could see Kaitzur and the sea from where I was. I stared at the panorama for who-know-how-long. There was no track of time; it was like staring at a picture for hours. I could picture Pierce's face in my head. Before and after what happened.

And you know what…? There was no difference between both pictures because he tried to smile until his last breath. He tried. He tried to say everything was going to be ok, that I could trust him.

Replica or not, it didn't matter. I only had to say 'yes' to Pierce offer, I only had to sheath my sword and explain him what was going on. I only had to admit I wasn't able to deal with all that on my own, what a fool.

If there was any way to bring Pierce back, I would do it. Or at least, I should do something to honor his life. Smoke a cigarette or maybe use some of that weird stuff he must have used to get all happy and high. Damn, I would do anything for him right now!

I looked back and saw that everyone was sleeping now; I could only see a figure sitting in front of the bonfire…

I think… I think it's Jade… Ugh, I can't tell from here…

I turned around again with the idea of spacing a few more hours, I really didn't want to think about anything, not even what was going to happen in Akzeriuth. I didn't want to think about the curse or Van, Tear and Asch. Fuck them all, who cares what happens there, maybe I should just have one of those soldiers kill me or just fucking kill everyone now that they are asleep.

I don't give a fuck…Nah… That doesn't sound like me at all.

I heard the turf snap behind me, and I turned my head just to see a red blob from the corner of my eye. That must be Luke. Yulia, I hope he doesn't start whining now because I'm on the mood to kill whoever interrupts my senseless rambling!

I huffed, "I'm not going to answer more questions Luke, so you better go away before I really shove that sword of yours up your ass!"

I waited for an answer, but he didn't say anything, nor did he go away and THAT pissed me off. I jumped to my feet and turned around.

"I said, go away!" I roared, trying to lower my voice. I didn't want to wake the others.

Again he didn't answer; I could barely see his face since it was too dark. However, I knew I wouldn't miss his cheek if I wanted to punch him in the face. And you know what? I really wanted to punch something.

So, without thinking, I balled my left hand –the one that wasn't too busy twitching like a fish out of the water– and threw a punch towards his face. To my surprise, it didn't collide against his face; he actually was able to stop it with one hand. I would have expected that from Jade, not from Luke. I mean, Luke would have stopped my punch with his face, I was sure about that!

Luke pulled my hand down and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards him at the same time.

"Owww, HEY!" His nails dug on my skin and now that I was closer to him, I could see his face. Indeed, it was Luke fon Fabre the one standing before me, though the look on his face said otherwise.

His features hardened in a way I had only seen on another redhead's face. My eyes locked on _his_ unmistakable deadly eyes.

"A-Asch…?" I stammered.

"Yes, it's me." He answered, the tone and way he said it was way different than how Luke talked, so I knew it was really Asch.

"How did you… You are Luke…?" The last sentence was supposed to sound like a statement.

"It's easier to control this idiot when he is asleep." He snorted; I got out of his grip. Why does he always have to be so damn aggressive?

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I barked, crossing my arms. He frowned and sat on the turf, I did the same. "Sooo….?" I pressed.

And that earned me a stern look. Then, he wrinkled his nose and mumbled something. Whatever he said, I wasn't able to hear it because his voice was too soft.

"Can you say it louder, please?" I leaned over him, maybe a little too much because he leaned away.

"I-I said… I was worried about you…"

"Huh…?" I raised a brow with skepticism. And snorted, "Now, why would YOU get worried about me?" He 'pfffed' and looked away. I should have known better, asking that type of stuff to Asch has no point.

"You haven't eaten in days…" He mumbled, while avoiding eye contact with me.

"H-How do you know that?" I asked.

"I've been... using this idiot's eyes." He pointed at himself, it was kind of weird talking with Luke but not actually talking with him, know what I'm saying?

"Asch… You…" I began, and he gave me the evil eye because he probably knew what I was going to say. "You're such a creeper…" He rolled his eyes and propped an elbow on his thigh to rest his head on one hand… Well, actually it wasn't HIS head or HIS thigh… bleh…never mind.

"That's all you've got t say?" He complained. "Just… that?"

"Huh? What else am I suppose to say?" I scoffed. "You're the one doing creepy things like using other people's eyes or stare at people while they sleep!"

"What? When did I say I stare at people while they sleep?" He snapped.

"I don't know, you tell me!"

"You are just trying to change the subject!"

"No I'm not!" Yes, I was.

"Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying!" "Yes you are!" He protested, "Why can't you tell me?" I stood up and turned around –ready to go back to the camp– but he grabbed my leg while he was still sitting on the turf.

"Hey!" My voice cracked and tears started to gather in my eyes. Oh no, I can't start crying now!

"I'll make you fall if you don't tell me…" He threatened; I looked down at him and glared.

"Don't even think about it! I'll kick your ass if you-" Before I could end my sentence, he wrapped his arms around my leg and pulled me down. Unfortunately for both of us, he pulled too hard and I was able to grab the sleeve of his shirt in a failed attempt to avoid rolling down hill. We both went down and whirled on the turf until we reached the end of the uprising surface.

The hillock wasn't big enough to cause us any injures. However, pain struck my neck from rolling and also, there was a red curtain over my eyes. It was until then that I realized there was weight over me and it didn't take me long to know who was over me, especially when a certain redhead groaned to my ear.

I pulled Luke's… no. Asch's…ugh. I pulled HIS hair out of my face and wheezed, "Your…replica…is…too heavy!" Asch groaned again and pushed himself up.

"See? This was your fault!" I scowled as soon as I was able to sit up. But he ignored me, he was too busy having a deadly fight against' Luke's untamed hair, especially with the forelocks, trying to blow them away from his face. "You are a lost cause…" I sighed.

"Look who's talking!" He snapped back. "Can't you remember what you said the first time we were on the Tartarus?"

"Asch, I've insulted you many times, don't expect me to remember everything I said to you!" I rumbled. He rolled his eyes and facepalmed.

"I'm talking about what you said in the strategy room. You said, 'hurtful memories shouldn't be kept a secret.' And that is exactly what you are doing!" I bit my bottom lip unconsciously, like if doing so would avoid tasting my own medicine. Don't you guys hate when people use your own words against you?

"W-Well… It's not the same with what is happening to me, ok?"

"Why not?" His tone indicated me he was losing his patience.

"Because… I won't be the only person that will get hurt if I say _it_. I've done terrible things Asch." I mumbled. "Don't expect me to be _me_ anymore and also, don't expect me to be on your good side either…"

He was confused; I could see it on his face. He stared a little long before asking, "What…do you mean?" I hugged my legs and breathe deeply; again, emotions were trying to take over me.

I looked at him heartlessly; my next words came out sour and cutting, "I'm on Van's side. I'll take you down if you get on our way..." He stared at me in shock. And I continued, "I… I killed a friend already. So…please…" Tears started to run freely. "Please, just do what he says. You'll get yourself killed if you don't."

Sorrow built up inside my chest quicker than I expected, and I didn't try to hide how scared and sad I was. I cried, I did as if he wasn't there… watching me. As if I was alone, like when you know no one will hear you and you cry as loud as you can because you don't give a fuck, when emotions are too desperate to flow out.

Or when a _friend_… or a family member dies, when you are at a funeral and you know everyone feels the same. You don't care if you look stupid or if you make funny sounds when you cry. Because it's too much and just when you thought things would get better... Something worst happens.

I didn't know if Asch was mad or what, I would have had to look at him on the eye to know, but I couldn't. I don't know how, but somehow, I ended up crying all over him. I'm pretty sure I was the one that crawled all the way to his side. On the other hand, Asch (still in Luke's body.) had petrified as I started sobbing all over his replica's shoulder.

I would have kept crying if my left eye hadn't started (literally) burning my eye socket. And I started to scream in pain; probably everyone at the camp could hear me.

Asch called my name several times, though his voice died with all my yelling and kicking…

-0-0-0-

Memory Fragment: After Death (age: 7-8)

"Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze, Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze…" Tear raised her hand in the air. Her melodious voice and accords rang aimlessly through the garden of selenias. "Va rei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa, Riou rei croa riou ze rei va ze rei…"

Everyone bowed their heads with sadness, I could hear them sniffing and sobbing, they were doing their best not to cry but I didn't blame them. I wanted to cry as well.

Tear stepped into the light, near Danny's coffin, her eyes and nose were red and the tears came down streaming down her cheeks. Even so, her voice didn't crack, nor did she stop singing.

"Va neu va rei va neu va ze rei, Croa riou croa neu tue rei croa riou ze rei va…" I always liked that song, Danny too, which is why everyone asked Tear to sing that song at her funeral. The melody was so peaceful and enhancing, really beautiful.

Someone touched my shoulder and I instinctively looked up, it was Van, an apologetic look on his face. Danny's death caught us off guard, so sudden… she was on her best years, and we all knew that.

"Rei va neu croa tue rei rei."

Then again, death isn't about reasons, it just happens. Of course, sometimes it's someone's fault and my teacher would always say those type of things happened for the best. Sheesh, I was lucky that Major Theodoro took me in, would Danny's death have been for the best if he hadn't, Mrs. Freeman…? No, I don't think so.

A year passed by and Danny's death was still lingering inside my head, even when I could see Tear daily (Van left to Daath last year.), it wasn't the same. Danny was like a mother to me and no one could make me understand I had to keep going, all those repressed feelings got me in trouble even more frequently.

I crossed my arms and pouted as Mrs. Lordon glared at me from over her desk. "You are in big trouble, little missy!" She barked. I stuck my tongue in response. She forced me to sit on a chair and then shut the door of her office behind her, with too much effort, in my opinion. That woman was crazy. And yes…that was a typical day at school!

After a couple of minutes, Mrs. Lordon returned. However, she didn't do it alone, Major Theodoro and Van were on her heels. (I was surprised to see Van since I hadn't seen him since last year.)

"What's the problem now, Mrs. Lordon?" Major Theodoro glared at me from the corner of his eye, meanwhile, Van fidgeted behind him.

Mrs. Lordon took of her glassed and huffed. "It's the third time Jude ends in my office this week, Major."

"I'm aware of the Mrs. Lordon, what did she do this time?" The elder asked, and sat on the chair beside me.

"Well, Mrs. Freeman was given her class as usual. She was talking about the Score…" Mrs. Lordon looked at me with a dirty look. "Jude, sweetheart, why don't you tell him what you said to her?"

An evil smile tugged from my lips, "I said the Score enslaves humanity and…. that its bullshit…" Van twitched and choked with his own saliva. Of course, a girl my age had to learn that from someone else, what other person than Van Grants?

Major Theodoro wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I think I can take care of that…"

When I came home that day, the first thing I did was to run all the way to Tear's room; she got sick with some kind of flu and didn't go to school that day. You can say it had been too boring without her, which _might_ have lead me to do what I did at Mrs. Freeman class.

I was expecting a lecture from Major Theodoro, though that never happened. He even came in and told me in a sweet tone (something he rarely used to do.) that it was better for Tear to get some rest. A subtle way to kick someone out of the room, I had no other option but to go to my room and wait for the lecture, but still, nothing happened.

I got tired of waiting and pulled out the shoe box I had under my bed. Inside, I had all the stuff that reminded me of Danny, well, just the important things. Pictures, a wool scarf she made for me and that type of stuff.

I ignored the pictures and rummaged looking for something else. I grinned when I found what I was looking for at the bottom of the box; it was no other than the medallion with wings she used to call Mystic. At that time, I wasn't sure why and I thought giving names to objects was a little bit silly.

I contemplated the yellowish jewel in the center of the accessory. According to Danny, she found me inside a garbage container with the medallion and a chain with a charm, which had my name carved on it. Yet, she never showed it to me.

Someone knocked on my door and I dropped the medallion inside the box and hid it again. "Come in."

The door opened, it was Van, and behind him was Major Theodoro.

"Um, Jude…" The teenager began. "I shouldn't have said those things to you… I don't have the right to force into you… what I believe."

"Huh?" I shook my head, "You didn't force anything into me. You were right, the Score isn't good. It shouldn't exist!" Van glanced at me with surprise.

Major Theodoro stepped into the room. "I think Jude needs to get away from this city for a while, she needs to forget what happened… Why don't you take her to the Outer Lands?"

"G-Grandfather, I just came to visit for a while. I can't take her to Daath and I can't take her to the manor either. Duke Fabre wouldn't approve, I've only been training his son for a few months…"

"You promised you would take Tear and me to the Outer Lands! You promised!" I snapped, I never forgot about his promise since it all happened the day Danny left us. Van's eyes drifted from Major Theodoro to me, you could see displeasure in his face. I'm pretty sure he felt cornered.

"Van, you've to understand. Part of what has happen is your responsibility. Be a man and take that responsability." The old man said, and then he glanced at me. "I'm sorry Jude, but Tear can't go anywhere in her current state. I'm afraid you'll have to go alone."

I pouted in response, but I knew he was right. Van groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Fine… Jude, you have to promise you'll behave. I'm not taking you anywhere if you don't promise that first!" A smile tugged from my lips, I felt a little down since Tear wouldn't be able to go with us, but I also couldn't help to feel a little exited.

"Yes, I promise!"

* * *

><p><strong>BWAHHHHHHH...<strong>

**Oh, you can see a picture of Jacko in my Deviantart.  
><strong>

.com/~happystab (original story: Ineth, a world that has been attacked by a mortal substance that was released aeons ago, corrupting everything it touches. It starts with myths and calamity but it also starts with a special occasions, royalty, trees and Ren Hasbel.)

Link also now in my Profile!


	17. Chapter 17: Deo Pass

**HEllO  
><strong>

**IMPORTANT:**

***Link to my fictionpress is in my profile, you can check my original story there or in deviant art.**

***Don't forget to send songs for chapter 21, we are almost there.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 17: Deo Pass<p>

Just as the Score predicted, there was miasma everywhere. Van looked around cursorily at the mortifying scenery in front of him. However, not even the people from Akzeriuth –who were clearly suffering from inhaling the toxic fog–, touched his heart. He already had a goal and he wasn't about to throw his plans away for a few stupid villagers.

The sky was dull and Van stepped into the light of the moon. The chilly breeze coming from the north cleaned his nostrils from the deadly poison invading the air.

"Dorian General Grants!" One of the soldiers from the Vanguard approached him and straightened up to salute him. "I've brought the report you were asking for, Sir. Until now, ten people have died under the effects of the miasma. Five women, two men and three children."

"I see…" Van replied, crossing his arms behind his back, serenity plastered on his face.

"Ummm… Sir…?" The soldier didn't want to be rude to the Commandant, but if they wanted to save this people… They had to act now. "With all my respect, Sir. We're waiting for your orders."

A soft chuckle escaped from Van's lips. The soldier was lucky to have his helmet on; otherwise Van would have seen disgust on his face. He didn't find anything funny in what he had just said.

"Of course…" Van began. "We have to locate the cause of the miasma, first. If I'm correct, the poison is coming from the mine, I want all the vanguard investigating the place."

The soldier cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Sir. Shouldn't we take out the people out of here first?" This time, Van didn't laugh. On the contrary, he glanced at the soldier with a dirty look.

"I'll forgive your impertinence this time. You must only follow orders. Is that clear…?" The soldier twitched.

"O-Of course, Sir. I'll give orders right away." With that, the soldier disappeared from his sight. Van smiled pleasantly for a few seconds but then, the smile vanished and was replaced with a frown.

He took out the medallion from his pocket and glared at it. His eyes scanned every detail, a train of thoughts rushing through his head, most of those thoughts were not positive at all, at least, for him.

Out of nowhere, a shadow fell from the sky, and right behind Dorian General Grants. Even though he knew there was someone behind him, he didn't stopped looking at the medallion.

"Dorian General Grants~." A sweet voice began. "So the day has finally come..." Van turned on his heel without looking up; he barely looked at the feminine figure standing in front of him. Her head was covered by the hood of her black cloak, which also had the symbol of the three rings and the pair of wings at the back.

"Where is Gold?" Van asked. Gold, also known as the man Van disliked.

"Currently on a mission. Jacko and Gold will be here on time." The woman sneered. "Something wrong?"

"This medallion isn't working anymore…" Van mused. "It no longer shows her what I want her to see…"

"Oh, is that so?" The woman sounded amused.

Van finally broke contact with the medallion and glared at the woman. "_He_ said it would follow my orders without falter. I want you to fix it." He growled.

The woman laughed, loud and carefree. "Oh my…" She gasped, sweeping out the tears from her eyes. "That's a good one."

Van walked to her, still glaring at her. "You think I'm joking?"

The woman's laugh died, but her smile never did. "You better be, Vandesdelca. Let me remind you, none of _us_ is working for you." The woman gaited towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder as she circled around him. "We are working together, remember? At least, be thankful to our leader, he has been really attentive with you."

Van huffed. "How can such powerful artifact be failing now? This thing has started showing her memories she wasn't supposed to remember."

"You are wrong there." The mysterious woman said, propping a hand on her waist. "The medallion doesn't fail; it only likes taking control of situations."

"This thing…is alive?" Van asked with skepticism.

"Thing…?" The woman wrinkled her nose. "Why can't you call the medallion by its name? Maybe that's why it has stopped following your orders, it doesn't like you." Van raised an eyebrow and the woman only shook her head with disappointment.

"It seems like I'm wasting my time here." The woman scoffed. "If you don't mind, I would like to test our little puppet, she looks so fragile… We don't want her to get broken before time."

"It's fine by me." Van chuckled. The woman turned on her heel. "Oh, actually, there is something I want you to do before you leave."

The woman smiled impishly. "What can that be?"

"Well, I just sent the Vanguard to the mine." Van grinned. "I don't want them to get lost in their way, so… Maybe you could take care of them…" The mysterious woman laughed again.

"Ohhhh that will be my pleasure. A little bit of training is always fun~." With that, the woman grabbed her urumi –a long sword made of flexible steel, sharp enough to cut into flesh, but flexible enough to be rolled into a tight coil–, which was wrapped around her waist.

And then, she sauntered towards the mine. Disappearing through the miasma that was emanating from the mine…

* * *

><p>My head rocked back and forth, oddly enough, my body did as well. It felt like I was in a rocking chair, though I could hear a heart beating right next to my ear. I tried opening my eyes but instead of opening them, I snuggled against the warm chest of whoever was carrying me. I hope its Jade.<p>

"So this is what happens when her eye stings..." Guy mused; I could tell he was keeping his distance since you can normally feel someone's presence when they are physically close to you.

"And just when I was falling asleep..." Anise complained with a yawn.

"Huh? Is there something I don't know…?" Natalia asked. "And why does Luke has to carry her?" Ah, fuck. "Can't Jade or Guy do it?"

"Oh, I think not. I'm too old, and Guy is simply useless." Jade replied.

"H-He is right Princess Na-" Guy stopped. "Wait. What?"

Luke cleared his throat to interrupt the conversation in a subtle way. Wait a minute… since when is Luke 'subtle'? "Where do I put her?" He asked.

"Over here." Tear's voice became louder as she approached. "She hasn't eaten properly in days, so maybe that affected her as well."

"I don't think so…" Ion spoke. "If this has happened before then… It must have something to do with her eye." Luke lowered himself and placed me over some sort of quilt, I could feel the grass beneath the fabric. Then, someone pushed something –might have been my bag– beneath my head to use it like a pillow. Followed by taking off my boots.

"Huh? What the…" Tear voice was louder this time.

"Hmmm, something wrong, Tear?" That was Natalia.

"Well, I remember Jude had a scar in her right foot." Tear began. "Right on her heel. She used to trip a lot and got that scar from one of those falls, but…"

"But…?" Anise asked, though she sounded uninterested.

"Look, it's not there anymore." Tear replied while poking my feet. "I'm pretty sure she still had it the last time I saw her, two years ago." Oh, great so that confirms I'm a replica.

"What do you think that means?" Guy asked.

"I'm not sure… Colonel, I wou-"

"I think it's better if all of you go to sleep."Jade interrupted. "Discussing at these late hours isn't going to bring benefits to anyone."

"Colonel…" Tear growled.

"Tear, I think it's for the best." Ion said.

"Tear, they are right, we all need some sleep." Natalia said.

"R-Right…" The sound of their footsteps died as they walked away.

The sound of wood burning and the smell of red-hot coal were the only things I was able to perceive after that. Nevertheless, I still had the feeling that someone was still there; I opened one of my eyes – slowly and carefully.

Everything was dark; I thought there was something wrong with my eyes, but no. The sky was still dark, which meant I had blacked out for just a short period of time.

My vision was blurry at first, but it started to focus as the seconds went by. I saw two shadows, both sitting in front of the bonfire. The shadows started to get clearer and they transformed from dull blobs, to human figures.

I was facing their backs; they were no others than, Luke and Jade.

They both seemed to be in a reflexive state, absorbed in their own thoughts. Still, I had the feeling Luke was avoiding eye contact with him.

"I'd like to know," Jade began. "What were you doing so late at night, but… I guess it's not hard to imagine." I was pretty sure Luke was glaring at him when he glanced at the Colonel.

Luke didn't reply to his comment – like he would have –; instead, he looked away.

"I see…" Jade mused. "You know, I'd be a little impressed if it had been _our_ Luke the one wandering at night with one of the girls." Jade twisted his body to face him. At least, I could see half of his face from this angle. The Colonel glanced at Luke over his glasses with a devilish smile. "But you aren't _our_ Luke, are you?"

Wait… What…? …Oh, that's right; I was talking with Asch before everything happened, so it must still be him… In Luke's body.

Yeah… I do remember having another one of Jude's memories. And because of that, I had recently discovered that Mystic and Asch's medallion was actually the same object. Asch was the person who received the medallion from Jude. Why didn't he tell me?

"I underestimated you, Necromancer." Asch growled.

"I suppose it has something to do with the Fabre family." Jade shrugged. Oh, snap!

"What's that suppose to mean?" Asch hissed and stood up. "I'm not related to this idiot." He added, pointing at himself.

"No, of course not…" Jade snickered, and pushed his glasses up his nose. Asch grumbled and ran his hand through Luke's hair in a failed attempt to take it off his eyes. "So, tell me,_ Luke_. Why are you here? I don't think it has to do with your duties, is it?"

Asch's hands balled into fists. Don't you dare touch him, Asch! I was shooting daggers at him; however, he was too busy glaring at Jade to notice. "I've nothing to explain to you…"

And just like that, Asch walked away (taking Luke's body away from the campfire). I wanted to stand up and go after him. Where was he going? …I wanted to know.

Jade didn't do anything; he only stared at him as the grumpy redhead walked away. I tried to stand up, but I found out that my body was too comfortable to move. Oh, come on! I want to see where he is going! I want to see, god damn it!

But instead of getting a positive reaction, my eyes started to close. I gave up into sleep without much whining. There was nothing else to do, I was too god damn tired to go anywhere. And before I could even notice, I fell asleep…

* * *

><p>The next day, I woke up feeling way different from how I had been feeling the last few days. And the others noticed my sudden change of mood, as well. I'm not sure what happened but I felt like something inside me had changed.<p>

I'd be lying if I told you I was completely happy and optimistic, after all, Pierce's death was still lingering inside my head. But I started eating again, and I was able to get into a conversation without biting someone's head off.

For some reason, I think it had to do with the memory I saw when I was with Asch. Now I knew why Danny was the reason Jude (the real one) was taken to House Fabre. Also, that proved the 'emotions-and-memories-are-connected' theory I had came up with. Apart from that, part of the anguish that had been choking me inside had vanished as soon as I told Asch I was his enemy.

It was like grabbing one of those rocks I had –metaphorically– shoved inside my bag and thrown it away. Somehow, there was a tiny bit of relief inside me and it was all because of Asch. That made me feel… awkward…

When I saw Luke that morning, I wasn't sure if to call him Luke or Asch. But there was no need to ask because he started whining about shit before I could say anything.

Luke the moron was back, and I wanted to laugh my ass off when he asked 'why are there soil particles inside my mouth?'

I didn't understood what had happened at first but then, I remembered seeing Asch (in Luke's body) walking away from the campfire. Hah hah, I never expected him to eat soil just to have his replica react this way in the morning.

That made my day and of course, that made me less of a dead weight. I was even a little bit more talkative than I usually had been, which by the way, it felt like years since I had been so… me.

I don't know how but I started a conversation about Tear's hair and how silky and smooth it was. The redness on her face told us how embarrassed she was. Tear gets embarrassed for everything!

I even teased Guy about his gynophobia with the help of Anise, I know it sounds mean but well, being mean is part of my nature, after all. At least, when it's about plotting something with Anise… And hating Luke, of course.

No one asked me what had happened to me or what had changed. I was glad they didn't because I didn't have an answer either. Whatever it was, it was beyond my knowledge. But I'd found an interesting thought lingering inside my head, whenever I thought about that last memory I had. I wanted to know how the real Luke fon Fabre and the real Jude met.

It was the sort of feeling you get when you are reading a book. The chapter ends and you just want to know what happens next. I wanted to know why Duke Fabre hated Jude, why she gave Asch the medallion and why the hell he didn't tell me!

Now that I think about it, I know why that memory affected me so much. It was the original Jude's emotions and my emotions the ones that were connected. My sadness was her sadness; my happiness was her happiness and vise versa.

After walking a few more miles, we finally found a cobbled floor path that went up hill, which meant we had finally reached Deo Pass. Or at least, that's what I think because apparently, no one cared to put a damn sign with the god damn name of this place.

"Man, at this rate, we'll never catch up to Master Van." Luke scratched his head and pouted. "We shouldn't have wasted time in the desert."

"What do you mean 'wasted time'?" It was the first time I saw Anise glaring at Luke. Oh, yeah, you go girl!

I watched in amusement as I took out my canteen; I was a little bit thirsty and needed some water as foul. I gingerly placed my lips on the top of the canteen and started drinking.

"I mean _wasted time_." Luke repeated. "We don't need Ion anymore. The war won't start as long as I'm around." I instantly stopped drinking as those words sank into my brain. A split of a second later, I was choking and I instinctively spit out the water.

Guy screamed like a girl and moved away his feet just in time, otherwise, all the water I spilled would have splashed on his leg. I'm pretty sure he screamed because I jerked towards him.

"OH, NO YOU DIDN'T!" I roared at Luke. I just couldn't believe what he had just said. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"You moron!" Anise shook her head in disgust.

"H-Hey…!" Luke was about to complain but he was interrupted.

"Luke, even I thought that was arrogant." Tear confessed with a glare.

"The peace is based on the respect the Malkuth Emperor and Father have for the Fon Master." Natalia began, surely, trying to teach a valuable lesson to Luke. "Without Ion, there would be no mediator." Unfortunately, she is wasting her time since Luke's brain absorbs information just like a rock does.

"No it's not like either country holds respect for me." Ion's gaze fixed on the floor. "They merely want Yulia's Score. I'm not really needed." There goes Luke, ruining my mood.

"I can't agree with you there." Guy patted him on the back. "You carry weight as a deterrent, Ion. Even if you do owe it to Yulia's Score."

"Either way, I'm still cutting his legs." I hissed looking at Luke, who stepped back when foam started to come out from my mouth.

"I see, you are all still young." Jade sighed. "So, how about we get going now?" Before getting an answer, Jade had already started walking again. What the fuck, Jade?

"How does he pull out a line like that at a time like this?" Guy said. "You can never tell what that guy is thinking."

I glared at Jade, simply because he makes a big deal about his age. Hell, I don't care how old he is, I still like him.

"Oh, come on, you are not even that old!" I shouted, throwing my hands into the air…

* * *

><p>Though I had recovered a little bit of my good mood, I had certainly not recovered the scarce abilities I had gained at fighting. I couldn't take Pierce's face out of my head and that made me vulnerable during battle.<p>

I tried pulling fonons into my body, but I wasn't focused enough to push them on the right direction. So most of the time, I had Tear singing her fonic hymns to help me or Jade and Guy watching my back. It had always been like that, but I was a little frustrated since I knew I could do much better.

About our current location, Deo Pass's trail was a lot more complicated than I thought. It consisted of zigzagging uphill paths with a wide variation of fauna and flora, especially fauna. Colorful pelican-like monsters, wolves, and fat trees were all over the place. About the flora, well, it was pretty much turf and trees at the sides of the trail, which was ok… Just ok.

Oh, and I must add I was impressed at how strong Mieu had got.

"HOLY CRAP!" I snapped, right after witnessing how the small cheagle broke a huge rock with his head. "How did he do that?" They explained me Mieu had gotten that ability at the Zao Ruins, something about absorbing fonons with the Sorceress' Ring. And, oh, that just made me feel weak, I was certain that Mieu could slam me to the floor with a single head butt.

I shook out those thoughts from my head, and tried to concentrate on the pelican-like monsters threatening me, flapping its wings and screeching.

I wrapped my fingers tightly around the hilt of my rapier and smacked my elbow on the side of the creature's beak. The pelican slammed on the floor, I was about to slain it when a giant tree appeared from behind some thick bushes.

"OH MY-" The giant tree roared and threw me to the air with one its branches. I fell to the floor and rolled on my back from the impact.

I groaned, my head was spinning and a terrible headache had started to bloom. I would have stayed on the ground a while longer if the assassin tree hadn't dragged its roots towards me. I jumped to my feet and bent just in time to dodge another branch.

"Are you all ri-" Jade was about to ask, a tone of amusement in his voice. But I interrupted him since I knew he was just making fun of me.

"Damn it Jade, just kill this thing!" I spluttered, running away from the tree. He laughed, and his spear materialized with a gesture of his hands.

"Thunder Lance!" Jade attacked with an uppercut gash and a split of a second later, a lighting stroke down the tree. I covered my eyes; the flash of that thunder left me blind for a few seconds. I blinked a couple of times until I was able to see again, only a pile of burned wood was left from the monster.

After said event, Tear used her healing artes to cure a few scratches the tree left on me. Once we made sure everyone was ok, we kept going until we found a humpback bridge at the end of a cliff.

We had just crossed the bridge when Ion presented symptoms of deterioration, again.

"Ion!" Anise crouched at his side; Ion's face was pale.

"Are you all right?" Tear rushed to his side. "Do you want to rest a bit?"

"No… I'm fine." Ion said. But the fact that he was gasping for air, said otherwise.

"No, you have to rest!" Anise insisted. "We're taking a break, everyone!"

"A break?" Luke growled, and pointed at the trail, "What are you talking about? Master Van's gone ahead!" I raised a brow. Not this, again…

"Luke! There is no harm in resting a little." Natalia said, propping a hand on her waist and giving him a stern look.

"Yeah. This is a tough mountain path." Guy said, glaring at him for just a second. "There is nothing we can do."

"I'M the ambassador! If I say go, we go!" Luke said. Yulia, why does he keep saying that? I would have kicked his ass, but I was too lazy now. Trying to teach Luke a lesson had become a waste of time and energy.

"L-listen, you!" Anise was fuming, and I patted her on the shoulder to calm her down. A gesture I had copied from Guy.

"Let's get some rest." Jade said, ignoring Luke's tantrum. "Ion, I trust that's all right with you?"

"Hey!" Luke gave him a murderous look.

"I'm sorry to be a burden, Luke…" Ion apologized.

"…Tch. Fine… Just for a little." Ion smiled and thanked him.

Ugh, why is he thanking him? Never mind… getting pissed won't solve the problem.

I lied down on the floor and closed my eyes. Despite my mood, I hadn't forgotten where we were going… It was impossible to forget that.

I don't think there was a way to turn back after what I said to Asch; I told him I was his enemy and that I would fight him… Still, it would be impossible to stop him; we both know he is stronger than me. Way stronger…

I sighed with frustration.

At this pace, I would be all depressed and cutting my veins in no time. So, I pushed those thoughts away and tried to relax. There was no point about thinking of decisions, from what I knew, the coin has already been tossed. Whatever the outcome was, I would bear it.

I had reached the point where this type of thoughts no longer affected me as they used to do. I wasn't thinking about betrayal or friendship anymore. The only word that came to my head was: Hope.

I hope this happens for the best. I hope they understand. I hope Pierce hears me when I say over and over again, –in my head– I'm sorry…

* * *

><p>My body stiffed when I noticed the path was going downhill, again; which meant Akzeriuth was just round the corner. We successfully survived the naughty trail of the mountain and were now really close to our destination.<p>

Of course, getting here had taken us several hours, four or three. At any rate, my heart started to beat faster just thinking about how close we were to the Miner city. Again, many thoughts plagued my head and without noticing, I stopped walking.

"Jude, is something wrong?" Tear asked, looking over her shoulder.

"N-No, I'm fine." I lied. My body was doing a major effort just putting each leg in front of me; my body had turned heavy out of nowhere. A strange, hollow sensation was now rising from the pit of my stomach and my knees were shaking.

Regardless of all the anxiety, I was able to pull myself together, and kept walking. Little did we know, someone was waiting for us.

Bullets were shot, and they crashed against the path ahead of us.

"Stop!" What the he-"Tear why do you continue to spend time with those people?" Legretta the Quick demanded an answer. She was standing over a hill, just above us.

"I'm under orders from Grand Maestro Mohs. What about you?" Tear asked. "Why are you kidnapping Ion and traveling to the Sephiroth?"

Legretta frowned for a split of a second. "To win freedom and free will for human beings." Why did that sounded so familiar?

"What do you mean…?"

"This world is completely controlled by the Score. People read the Score for anything they do." The God-General spat. "The Score rules their lives. Don't you think that's wrong?" Wait, wasn't that what Van used to tell Jude, when she was little…?

"The Score doesn't exist to control people." Ion protested. "It's merely a tool to help them follow the correct path."

"Perhaps for you, Fon Master, but most people depend on the Score. It controls them." Legretta shook her head in disgust. "The worst cases consult the Score to see what they should have for dinner. You are no different." Pierce said that too, didn't he? The Score did sound like a problem from his point of view.

"We don't get that far, but…" Anise began, hesitantly. "If the Score shows the future, then its best to live as it says…"

"The Score you get to read on your birthday is a useful reference." Guy said.

"Yes. And you hear your life's Score, from the moment you are born, so…" Natalia added.

"In the end, relying on the Score makes life easier." Jade concluded. "Mind you, the Scores other than Yulia's are vague and hard to understand." He has a point.

"That's what I'm talking about. This world is mad." Legretta growled, still, her features were emotionless. "Someone has to change it. Tear! Join us." I'm pretty sure that last sentence was a command.

"I still don't trust my brother, and you're his loyal partner." Tear shook her head. "Until my suspicious towards him are cleared, I can't return to you." Legretta glared at me, which meant it would be my turn to 'convince' Tear if her next plan didn't work. After all, I think she was just trying to prevent the 'kidnapping situation' for Tear's sake; she could end up hating Van otherwise.

"Then, I'll stop you by force!" She threatened. Legretta jumped into the air and flipped, taking advantage of her momentum to take out her gunners. I was a little shocked when Legretta started to shoot… at me. I dodged the bullets unskillfully, and she landed gracefully a few feet away from us.

The only thing I could assume was that Legretta was her on her own volition. She wanted to take Tear away herself, and probably kill me in the process. Why? Probably because she thought tricking Tear with a replica of her best friend wasn't a good idea.

Everyone had already gone to their positions when I took out my rapier. And even though we were fighting against a single enemy, Legretta the Quick was living up to her title. She would dodge our attacks easily and she'd shoot her projectiles if we were too close.

I could hear Tear mumbling the incantation of one of her spells. If I was correct, she was about to use 'Healing Circle.' Surprisingly enough, I was right. She used it mostly because Tokunaga and Anise had been knocked down with one of Legretta's attacks.

I got closer to the skillful God-General in the first opportunity I had. Miraculously, I was able to perform 'Fang Blade' without a problem; however, she was able to block the attack using her gunners as protectors. The strike reached her but she deep-rooted her feet to the floor and the impact pushed her back, four to five centimeters.

Luke tried to sneak behind her, but Legretta noticed him just in time. She hastily planted her palms on the ground and prompted her feet to the air, kicking Luke in the chin with little effort. Fortunately, Guy surprised her with an exceptional move in the same exact moment she was back on her feet.

"Frigid Moon!" Guy swung his sword in the air, creating a crescent moon of ice when he swung his sword upwards. The attack launched Legretta into the air and Guy used that momentum to strike again, this time, with a earthward blow.

Legretta slammed on the floor and groaned. "Da-Damn it!" She gritted her teeth. "I'm not done, yet!"

I was about to start my speech, but a melodious voice of a woman, interrupted today's moral lesson. The voice danced aimlessly and brushed against our surroundings until it got louder and louder.

"Eh ze riou cata vi… kinah eh, Kura ivo le ve…" At first, I thought Tear was singing. But when I looked back at her, she was just as confused as everyone else. "Eh ze riou cata vi… kinah eh, Kura ivo le ve…"

Right at the second verse, I started to feel dizzy. I had to dug the blade of my rapier into the ground to have some support, everything was spinning and I felt like I was about to throw up.

"Wha- Wha the hell is going on?" Luke stammered, I turned around to see everyone was suffering the same symptoms, or at least, that's what I could tell from the fact they were in the same position I was, and also, because of the evident displeasure on their faces.

"Some sort… of fonic hymn?" Jade speculated. Tear and the others were too tired to answer his question, not like they knew the answer anyway.

"Forbidden… artes…" Except Ion, of course. "Dark… fonic… hymn…"

"Ha zi anah le ve, Ha zi anah le vou…"

Even Legretta didn't look well. "T-That voice…" A shadow came down from one of the trees that were at the side of the trail. I could tell it was a woman because of her silhouette, I would have seen her face if she hadn't covered it with the hood of her black cloak.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your fun Legretta, but I want to play too~." The woman giggled.

"Y-You!" Legretta hissed. "What are YOU doing here?"

"Me…?" The woman crossed her arms and tilted her head thoughtfully. "I suppose I'm buying time for the _others_. None of us want to miss the big show." She sneered.

"B-Big show?" I asked, looking at Legretta. I don't think she was talking about taking Tear away. Still and all, Legretta decided to ignore me.

"This…this is my fight!"Legretta roared. "Go away!"

"Owww, don't be such a party-pooper." The woman complained. She approached the God-General and pulled her up. "Come on, I'll give you a hand. You know… Like old times~." Legretta glared at her, but nodded. "The effects will disappear soon, so you better get ready."

I was able perceive a smile on the woman's face. She was looking at me… I think…

She pulled out her weapon; it looked like a whip, though the tails were actually flexible blades of steel.

"That half for you…" The woman began. Pointing at Tear, Luke and Anise respectively. "I take the other half. The team with the blue-haired girl is mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Songs:<strong>

**Stranger - Tokio Hotel ft. Kerli (Jude'sTheme song)**

**Lust - Lineage 2 (the song the mysterious woman was singing, dark fonic hymn!)**

**Regret - Tantric (Asch and Jude)**


	18. Chapter 18: Akzeriuth: Before Tragedy

Ok, quick announcements.

*A new draw of Jude in deviant art. Pretty, with colors and casting magic!

*Usotsuki Lily's OC, Emerald, makes her first appearance in this chapter.

*Also, I would like to know what you guys think of the battle scene, I would like to know what you thought about it. Longest battle scene I've ever written.

***http:/ yukinitarou. deviantart. com/#/d49wnbf - (Fan art made by: YukiNitarou)** Thanks~! :3

Now, Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Chapter 18: Akzeriuth: Before Tragedy<p>

The effect of the woman's incantation worn off quickly, and we were able to stand up without a problem, even Legretta. And of course, the battle started before any of us could blink. I could see arrows, bullets and flashes of light from the corner of my eye; I could hear the sound of blades cutting through the air.

The mysterious woman raised her hand, and swung her urumi above her head before whipping the blades toward us with great speed. Unnaturally, it was like being inside a storm of razor leaves. The deadly edges of her weapon cut through turf, soil, plants and even rocks.

I wasn't sure if it was an illusion or what, but I had the impression that the blades of her weapon had grown loner, almost like the roots of an enormous perennial plant monster.

She swung the blades over her head again, which blocked the arrows that Natalia shot at her. The mortal limbs of her weapon had spread around her and were acting like a shield. Guy and I tried to get closer but it was impossible. Worst of all, a green circle appeared beneath her feet as she did so.

Her temporal shield produced a horrible deafening sound that was similar to having a huge turbine next to your ears. However, I was able to catch a glimpse of her lips… they were moving.

"She is going to perform an Arcane arte!" I shouted. Still and all, no one was able to hear me with all that noise.

"Turbulence!" The woman span gracefully on her toe as she finished her spell. I looked at the others, wide-eyed, but it was too late. The surges of wind launched us into the air, everyone from my team –except Jade, who saw it coming.

Natalia, Guy and I were hit by the gusts of winds that spun around us. The currents started to vanish and we finally fell to the floor, the magnitude of the attack was so strong that some of the gales cut through the fabric of our garments.

"Oh, No!" Anise looked at us horrified from the other side of the battlefield.

"Anise, focus!" Tear yelled. But Legretta took down the small Fon Master Guardian, jumping into the air and slamming one of her guns across her face.

"Damn it, we can't lose now!" Luke growled. "G-Get up!" He ordered us. I swear I could have forgotten about the woman and just kill him right there.

"Luke, mind your own business!" Even though Jade tried to act calmly, I could notice annoyance leaking out of his voice. Luke had to focus in Legretta, after all; otherwise he would end up like Anise.

The mysterious woman grinned and threw the sharp tentacles of her urumi towards Jade, who was currently casting a spell.

"Shit!" I jumped to my feet and blocker her attack before she could reach Jade.

"Ju-Jude, be careful" Guy groaned, trying to stand up and failing miserably, just like Natalia.

"Well, well, finally the puppet steps up!" The woman laughed.

"Wha-what?" I choked. Yet, I had clearly heard what she said.

"You can't even match the _original_, sweetheart. Nope, not even a little." She said in a burlesque tone. Her words were harsh and venomous, like being slapped across the face –several times.

"Jude, stop it!" I looked around to see a really pissed Jade glaring at me. "Stop listening and grant me some time!" I nodded and glanced at the woman, fearlessly. I dropped my bag at one side and took a fighting stance. Jade was right, there was no time for self pity.

"Let's play, grandma~." I sang. The smile vanished from her face and she gritted her teeth.

"Insolent!" She hissed. "It's clear; you don't know who you are dealing with." She threw her tentacles at me and I blocked them with another parry stance, her blades jounced on my blade and she raised her hand into the air again.

To my surprise, the lethal limbs of her weapon turned even larger; to the point its tips almost touched my face, even when she was swinging it over her head. My eyes widened when she pulled back and then, wrapped the blades around a tree. Predicting what was going to happen next, I looked back at Jade.

"What is taking you so long?" I growled.

"Her blades absorb the fonons in the area when she swings them like that. That's why they've grown considerably larger." I shook my head in disbelieve, that can't be good.

A strident sound forced me to look back at the woman, she was able to rip off the tree from the ground and was now swinging it over her head with an impish smile, like if it wasn't heavy at all.

"I'm sorry dear, your time is over~!" She laughed maniacally. She pulled her weapon and then swayed it towards me, releasing the tree as a projectile. I heard girly screams; one must have been from Tear, and the other one belonged to me.

"Jade!" I cried and covered my eyes with an arm; the tree was too large; it was impossible to dodge it and protect Jade at the same time. But, just like a miracle…

"O maddening gale of the spirits of the earth… Stalagmite!" Jagged rocks burst through the ground and crushed the incoming projectile. Chunks of wood, sawdust, and leaves flew everywhere, and I covered my eyes once again to protect them from the dust.

"You, imbeciles!" The woman roared. "You are not getting away now!" She attacked again, this time, throwing boulders at us.

"Jude, you've to do something about that weapon, otherwise, I won't be able to cast properly!" Jade said.

"R-right!" I stammered, and tightened the grip over the hilt of my rapier before towards her. She had started gathering fonons again, so, I lowered my head and swept beneath the arms of her deadly shield.

"Wh-What?" Shock leaked out of her voice. I was about to pierce her in the stomach, but unfortunately, she turned around the table too quickly.

The flat surface of her blades wrapped around my left arm, preventing me from delivering the final blow. Then, the other extremities wrapped around my waist, thighs and even my neck.

Although, I was intelligent enough to bring my hand next to my face, so it would get wrapped along with it, otherwise, she would have decapitated me or strangled me.

"Your mine, now!" She smirked, and pulled, pressing my bonds even tighter. One of the iron-made tentacles that were around my waist, cut through my clothes and dug into the flesh of one of my sides, I cried in pain as she kept pressing them. To the point, my hand –the one that was trapped with my neck– was pressing against my face. And it was difficult to breathe like that.

"Jude!" Tear and the others glanced at me with shock before running to my direction.

"No!" Jade began, "Stay away. Tear, Luke, Anise; you have your own fight!" That was enough to stop them, and…well, Legretta too. Although she didn't look like she was enjoying the fight, either. In the other hand, Natalia and Guy had been injured badly, Ion and Mieu where taking care of them.

Jade glanced at me and mumbled "Just a little longer, Jude..."

"J-Jade… If…If something happens to me." I wheezed. "I… just…want you to know, I…" Jade frowned. "I'LL HAUNT YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IF I DIE HERE!" Using my little 'confession' as a distracter, I dropped my sword, grasping a handful of her flexible blades and pulling with all the strength I had left.

Surprisingly, I pulled hard enough to bring the mysterious harpy a little closer. Next, I twisted my body –purposely wrapping it with the tense length of blades– in attempt to reduce, even more, the distance between us.

I succeeded and when I reached my goal, I puncher her on the face. The blades around my body unwrapped on its own; the harpy dropped her weapon and staggered back. Just about time, because it was Jade's turn..

"Thunder Lance!" This time, he threw his lance from where he was standing; I had to dodge the shiny torpedo by throwing myself on my back. His attack landed on his target with incredible precision. The woman was launched into the air before slamming on the floor.

In the other side of the field, Legretta had been defeated as well.

"S-Shit!" The woman staggered to her feet. "You'll pay for that!"

"No, it's over! We are getting out of here!" Legretta roared. The other woman looked at her, I think she was glaring. Still, she pushed the matter any further and picked her urumi from the floor.

"Next time, I'll make you suffer." She threatened. Then, she swung her weapon like a snake and a shiny circle appeared beneath her feet. Before we could know what was happening, a blinding light covered her in a flash; the next thing we knew was that she had vanished.

Legretta, seeing that her 'partner' was finally gone, jumped over a few boulders until she reached the hill, again. "Tear… Get away from those rejects!" She ordered; even though she was trying to act tough, it was obvious that she was in a lot of pain.

"Rejects? Who are you talking about?" Luke demanded, I think he knew one of the 'rejects' was suppose to be him. In my case, I just glared at her.

"…So, it WAS you people who resurrected that forbidden technology." Jade hissed with a baleful expression on his face.

"Jade, no! There are some things people are better off not knowing!"Ion said.

"YOU knew?" Jade and I practically shouted at him. I had the impression Jade knew it since the last conversation we had at the Oasis, but I never suspected from Ion.

"What?" Luke balled his hands into fists. "Stop leaving me out of the conversation! What are you talking about? It's something to do with me, right?"

"…Whose idea was it? Was it Dist's?"

"Are you talking about fomicry?" Legretta raised a brow. "What good would it do you to know? The die has been cast, Necromancer!" Jade took out his spear again, but Legretta disappeared with another flash of light. Huh, everyone uses the same cheap trick? Or is it something among harpies?

"Over my dead body!" Jade shouted. I had never seen him so damn angry. Those sexy crimson eyes could melt anything.

"Colonel… You are actually really angry…" Anise is known as the member of the group, who says what no one dares to say. Of course, the fact that she is a cute little girl helps a lot.

"…I'm sorry. I lost control. I'm all right now." Jade adjusted his glasses and regain his composure. "Let's hurry to Akzeriuth."

Once Tear healed everyone, we were ready to go. Of course, Luke kept asking what was going on, but everyone ignored him, so I did the same…

Legretta staggered as she went down the mountain. The pain caused by her wounds and the rough path she had just gone through, made her stop by a tree to take a break. She would have done it sooner but her status as a soldier and her pride were great obstacles sometimes.

The shadow of a woman came out from the bushes; however, this wasn't the same woman that had teamed up with her a few minutes ago. Still, the sight of the new figure made Legretta curse under her breath. Today was definitely not one of her best days, having to see the two individuals that she hated the most the same exact day wasn't a coincidence.

Emerald's right eye –the one that wasn't covered with an eye path– lit up when she found the person she had been looking for. She pushed her cropped, white bangs from her face and gave Legretta the Quick a ravishing smile.

"Oh, dear, it looks like I've come at a bad time." Emerald snorted, propping a hand on her waist.

"I don't need your sympathy or pity, Commander Dinoia." Legretta spat, resting against the tree with a pained expression on her face.

"No, of course not. I'm not that nice, either." Emerald said matter-of-factly and approached her. Her outfit was quite unusual to be a member of the Order, a white cat suit with long, ample sleeves and golden patterns. A long lavender toned scarf around her neck and a pair of gauntlets, one in each hand.

Everyone in the Order knew Emerald wasn't the type of person to have a taste for uniforms, but of course, it was her rank what gave her that privilege. One of the many reasons Legretta despised her. Yet, her main reason was far from their duties and adjacent to love, in other words, in a personal stage.

"What are you doing here?" Legretta hissed. "I'm sure mocking me isn't your only reason."

"I've been tracking Ion since he escaped from Daath." The white-haired woman crossed an arm and rested her chin in the other. "Colonel Jade Curtiss is an interesting man…"

"Escaped?" Legretta scoffed, twisting in pain. "You…you let him go. If what you were said was true then, your unit would have captured him a long time go."

Emerald placed a hand on her chest and faked shock, "Legretta, that's a really serious accusation. Now, why would I let him go when I'm in charge of his custody?"

"You CAN'T fool me." Legretta shot daggers at her. "Van…no… General Grants trusts you too much." The God-General was a little…jealous, perhaps. Well, it was hard to get Van interested in a woman that wasn't his sister. That had been impossible for almost every single woman that had crossed paths with the Commandant, except for Emerald of course.

Emerald was an exotic twenty-nine years old woman; she certainly brought attention to men. Not to mention, her 'attributes'.

"Well, excuse me. Was it me the one that tried to kill him a few years ago?" Emerald tapped her feet and shook her head with a smile. "I don't think so…"

"YOU… You are as irritant and dishonorable as that other muckraker!" Legretta snapped. The 'muckraker' also known as the mysterious lady that helped her out in battle.

"Who?" Emerald raised a brow.

Legretta shook her head. "I'm wasting my precious time with you." Legretta pushed herself away from the tree, she had rested enough. Although, Emerald stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to rest her back on the tree again.

"You poor thing." the white-haired woman gathered fonons and healed Legretta's wounds with a gesture of her hand. "Now, you won't embarrass yourself when your unit sees you." Emerald looked at her with a combination of amusement and pity.

Legretta pushed her away and started walking, slowly, but her limbs didn't hurt as much as before. She was a little glad to have found Emerald on her way back, but she cared too much about pride to show it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't expecting her rival –though, their rivalry was also born from the fact they both used guns as weapons– to follow her. She tried to ignore her and walked faster but Emerald could easy keep up with her.

The God-General quickly forgot about their differences as the silhouette of a bird descended from the sky and posed over Emerald's shoulder. That was Kogamaru, a hawk that had become Emerald's companion a few years ago, effective to use as a spy.

The white-haired woman wrinkled her nose when she noticed that her buddy was a little bit nervous and, quite frankly, out of his usual behavior.

"Something wrong?" Legretta asked.

"We need to get out of this mountain, now…"

We followed the dirty path all the way down. The dreadful city welcomed us with a large sign that said 'Akzeriuth, the Miner City'.

I coughed once the wind brought the polluted gases to my nostrils, the rest of the party limited themselves to wrinkle their noses or to say 'Ewww, I can taste it!' …that was Luke, by the way.

As we got closer, we couldn't help but stare in shock at the grieving scenario playing before us. The miasma had spread all around the town, just like the dead bodies and the not-so-dead bodies of the citizens. There was a small quantity of them that were still standing on both of their feet, they were doing the best they could to help their neighbors.

I never expected things to be like this, where the hell is Van and the Vanguard?

"Wh-What IS this…" Luke's gaze scanned the area.

"This is worst than I imagined." Jade mumbled. Natalia ran to the nearest victim and crouched beside him. She gestured me to help her out, so I approached and took out some gels from my bag.

"H-hey, Natalia, get away from them. They are dirty." Luke gave her a disapproving look. "You might catch something."

"…What's dirty? What am I going to catch?" Natalia growled, which made me jolt. "Don't say such stupid things!"

Pyrope, the local supervisor of the mine informed us about what had been happening until now. Apparently, the Mayor of the city fell ill –for obvious circumstances– and he had to take his place in order to try to control the situation. I was pretty sure this city had brighter days than this one…

"Where are Dorian General Grants and the rescue team?" Jade asked the supervisor.

"Grants is inside the mine. He is attempting to rescue our companions who collapsed there."

"It looks like the miasma isn't quite as thick here as by the Fubras River." Guy said, after taking a look around the town.

"Apparently, it's really bad inside the mine." Anise added.

"Let's take a look around out here, then head for the mine." Tear suggested, to which we all agreed with a nod. Except Luke, who was too busy making 'eww-gross' faces as he glanced around.

"Luke!" Tear snapped to pull him out of his head-trip. Luke jolted.

"Huh? Oh… Right…"

I gave out part of my gels to Guy and Anise so we could all help out. Of course, we made sure to save a considerable amount of gels for us as an afterthought and then, gave them to Ion. Also, because we were all afraid the poison could worsen his condition.

And just like that, we split all over the town to see what could be done before heading to the mine.

The city lacked greenery, something to be expected in the Miner City. Still, I don't think that was an excuse to have the place in such a withering state. There was only dust here and it was tickling my nose. Well, Jude, what if the miasma killed the few biennials they had left? Now, THAT sounds convincing.

I took the elevator and pushed the button to make it go down. Surprisingly, there were a lot of kids down there. In poor conditions, I must add.

I was immediately attacked by a group of kids that were desperate for a piece of gel, so I ended up giving most of the gels I had. It was obvious that the miasma had deteriorated their condition, they were pale and some of them could barely stand on their feet.

When I was done giving out the gels, the kids parted Yulia-knows-where. That's when, from the corner of my eye, I spotted a small figure sitting in a corner.

A thick mane of sandy blonde hair covered his eyes; head hanging to one side. I approached to him, and as I did, it was easier to tell he wasn't even older than Anise. He was maybe around twelve or thirteen years old.I was also able to notice he was trembling.

I crouched in front of him, and pulled his hair away from his face to touch his forehead. I was welcomed with a pair of wonderful green eyes –regardless that his gaze was most certainly lost and lucid, he was suffering a fever.

"What's your name?" I asked him, and he looked up at me with tired eyes.

"Dad…Das says I shouldn't…talk to strangers…" He coughed. I raised a brow.

"The name is Jude, I'm seventeen years old. I hate aristocrats and dresses." I'm a replica… "I love Jade, he doesn't love me back. I can be a bitch when I want to and I've been in prison." His eyes widened at the words 'bitch' and 'prison'. "See, strangers are way better."

"M-My name is Oliver." He stammered; avoiding eye contact, face brighter than a tomato.

"Good to know you are cooperating, Oliver." I sneered. Hell, that kid was lucky; I found one last gel inside one of my pockets. "So, where is your Dad?"

"Haven't seen him in days…" He mumbled. "He is one of the miners that are trapped inside the mine." I have him the gel and he swallowed it. I was stunned at how calmed he said it; then again, it could be related to some kind of tipsy effect from the miasma.

I offered him a hand and he grabbed it. I pulled him up to his feet and he teetered a little. "You'll be fine if you go to the highest part of the city. Do you think you can go on our own?" I asked.

He nodded, then he took two or three steps, at the fourth, I had to grab his arm, otherwise he would have fallen face first. "Dude, that's the wrong way." I chuckled.

He glared at me. "Fake boobs." That earned him a smack on the head. "Owww!"

"Did I mention I hate smart mouths too?" I grinned. Regardless, that I might have wanted to kill the kid.

"Got it, just… don't do that again." He groaned while rubbed the back of his head.

"Good, now walk, kid." I pushed him lightly and he started walking with me on his heels. That's when I noticed my throat had started to hurt. Apart from that, the wound I got from that crazy harpy still hurt, even when Tear did her best to close the wound with her healing artes, it wasn't able to close completely.

We had almost reached the entrance when Tear appeared. "Jude, I've been looking for you." She said.

"What is it?" I asked, clearing my throat, for some reason, it felt dry.

"We'll enter the mine now, if things keep going like this, all the villagers will die." She replied. I cleared my throat again, this time, to gesture her that a kid was hearing her. When she noticed, she panicked, "I-I mean, there is still h-hope..."

Oliver stared blankly at her, then looked at me and raised a brow. "Hers are fake, too?" You little fuck! I had to breathe deeply to avoid smacking him in the head again.

I pushed him –a little too hard– and towards the entrance. "Go to a safe place before I change my mind." He walked away, glaring at me one last time.

"What is fake?" Tear asked with an inquiring look.

"Oh, it's nothing." I waved my hand dismissively. "Let's go." We found the rest of the party in our way to the mine. From what I heard, everyone did their best to help the citizens, and just like it happened to me, the gels we had collected had run out as well. Everyone had done a splendorous job… except for Luke, who spent all that time sulking in a corner.

As we approached the mine, the intoxicating smell of the poison grew stronger. That made me realizes that my throat was hurting because the smell and the effect of said corruption were too strong, and I wasn't the only one. Pretty much everyone from our party was suffering the same symptom.

We were about to enter the mine when the echoed voice rang.

"Locrian Sergeant Grants!" We all turned around. And I looked at the soldier, wide-eyed. I thought Van would want us to help first, but it looked like that wasn't the case, and that made me nervous. "My name's Hyman. I'm the one who informed Grand Maestro Mohs about the Seventh Fonstone."

"Good work."

"The Seventh Fonstone? Don't tell me it has been found!" Ion blinked absently. No, a fake Ion, it's a fake!

"We think so, but we can't be sure until we excavate it." The soldier replied.

"Tear, please go confirm the Seventh Fostone authenticity." Ion said. "I'll go with the others and catch up with the Vanguard."

"I-I don't think it's a good idea…" Everyone's gaze drifted to me with expectancy. I could even feel the gaze of the soldier, who might have been glaring at me from the abysmal insides of his helmet. I'm not even sure why I said that! "Um… I mean… It's that…"

"Yurian Officer Haefner, Dorian General Grants said it was your obligation to accompany his sister." The soldier interrupted. I scowled at him, briefly.

"Yurian Officer…?" Tear looked at me, and then smiled. "Jude, you got your title back, aren't you happy?" I shot daggers at the soldier, who was looking at me from over Tear's shoulder.

"You've no idea…" I replied dryly, I didn't even try to fake a smile. As incredible as it sounds, Tear didn't noticed my apathy.

"All right. Please take care of the villagers." Tear said, the others nodded. It took my brain a few minutes to understand, time was running out. I looked back at the mine as Tear, the soldier and I walked away. I knew I had to guarantee Tear's capture but I was also worried about the rest of our party and the citizens that were trapped inside.

Something… Something didn't felt right, something was off but I couldn't tell what it was. Also, didn't Oliver say his father was one of the miners who were trapped inside? ... I hope they all survive.

"Is something wrong?" Tear's question brought me back to reality.

"No, not at all." I replied, trying to sound calmed. But my right hand said otherwise, it was twitching again. Yulia, just when it had stopped doing that for a while. Worst of all, even if I wanted to tell her what was going on, the soldier would be able to hear our conversation.

Now, let's add the fact that my throat is burning like hell, and that the last wound I got was still hurting… How the hell am I going to fight against Tear –if she decides to fight– or what if Asch shows up?... Lorelei, I'm fucked from both, front and rear. Well, this Oracle Knights can't be THAT useless, right?

We climbed all the way to the highest part of the city and then head near the northern gate, where a huge turquoise boulder was being examined by a few soldiers. They were standing over the scaffolding and taking a look at doodles carved on the –almost transparent– stone.

"Wait here." Tear's eyes drifted to me. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Ok…" I choked. She walked away, it only took her a few minutes to get there and start a discussion with the soldiers. In that moment, someone tapped my shoulder, I turned around to see it was Hyman… or that's what I think. Damn it, all soldiers look and sound alike!

"Yurian Officer Haefner, General Grants said you were in charge of this mission. We are ready to take away Locrian Sergeant Grants when you order it." He said, taking a firm posture.

"Huh?" I propped a hand on my waist. "Wait a second. I can order you soldiers around…?" I suppose it's because Van was really sure I'd do what he wanted. Ugh, that makes me feel sick.

"Uhhh, yes Sir. I mean, yes –errr." I waved a hand dismissively.

"It's ok, I got it." I looked back at Tear. "I'll take her of her myself."

"Huh? But General Grants sa-" Hyman was about to star ranting.

"I know what he said, I'll talk with Tear first. If I need your help, I'll request it." I scowled and started to walk toward the excavation area. The soldiers –that had been talking with Tear– had come down from the scaffolding and now, she was alone.

As I approached, the thoughts inside my head started to get clearer. It was like literally getting closer to the truth, and I knew talking with her would be useless. There was nothing to convince her about, Van wasn't the same teenager Tear and the original Jude had met, not even a shell of what he had been.

Realization sank into my head, which made me considered the idea of just knocking her down from the very beginning. I automatically climbed the scaffolding, not even thinking it twice; maybe because I was too busy having an internal conflict.

I unsheathed my rapier, but she was too busy studying the Seventh Fonstone to notice.

"This…it's fake." She mumbled.

"Finding replicas is common these days…" I commented, which made her look at me. Her eyes widened when her gaze met the tip of my blade.

"Jude…?" She looked at me, terrified. Did I really…kill Pierce for this…?

"It's Van; just do what I say…. Please." I said dryly.

"Why…? Why would you do this?" But I didn't answer, instead, I gestured her to get down from the platform, where the rest of the soldiers were waiting for her…

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><p>Songs:<p>

No Surrender - Fifth Floor Music (Battle scene with Legretta and the harpy.)

Anywhere But Here - Sick Puppies (Tear might feel towards Luke after this...)


	19. Chapter 19: Akzeriuth: Abydos Massacre

**YEESH! This Chapter wrote itself like magic. I love when that happens.**

**I wanna thank the few people that took the time to read my original story. Thanks guys! I'll probably submit some art about it.**

**Well, I'll stop talking now, enjoy! (God I've been waiting for this chapter since I began this story!)**

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><p>Chapter 19: Akzeriuth: Abydos Massacre<p>

She had no other option but to follow my orders. When we both came down, two soldiers grabbed Tear by her arms. I could see the Tartarus getting closer from the northern entrance of the city. So, I scanned the soldiers with my eyes and cleared my throat.

"Soldiers, there's still a job for you." I said, authority leaking out from my voice. I'm not going to lie, I felt powerful.

I raised a finger, ready to speak, but before I could go any further, Asch appeared out of nowhere. He took out his sword in a split of a second and jumped over the soldiers –the ones holding Tear–, easily knocking them out with a few hits of his sword.

I had to roll my eyes at that. God damn it, soldiers are so incompetents! Well, could be that or Asch is just a pro. Tear jumped away from the rest of the soldiers and was now next to Asch the Bloody, who was glaring at me like there was no tomorrow. He just had to appear and complicate everything!

"Oh, the hero is here…" I huffed, crossing my arms.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" He snapped. "I never actually believed you when you told me… THAT." Tear's eyes drifted from Asch to me several times. She looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Tear asked. "What's going on?" In that instant, the rest of the soldier surrounded them.

I shook my head and sighed. "Asch, can you please let me finish giving out orders?" Asch looked at me with disbelief. The only other time I had seen him look me like that was when I was saying a bunch of stuff about his mother.

Still, I ignored him and called the attention of the soldiers. "Listen to me." They all glanced at me, I couldn't see their faces, but I knew they weren't expecting that.

Hyman approached me and spoke with an awkward tone, "Umm, Miss, I think we all know what you are abo-".

"No, you don't." I interrupted, giving him a glare. "I want every damn soldier of this unit scattered around the city."

"Huh? Miss…?" Oh, he definitely was confused. Actually, even Asch and Tear looked baffled. "Why would-"

"I want all the people of this city boarding the Tartarus, NOW! I don't want people dying here." I said. Oh, Van, you shouldn't have underestimated me…

"But, Officer Haefner, what about them?" Hyman asked, looking at Tear and Asch. I glanced back at them, trying to fake negligence. However, I was praying inside for everything to go well. Apart from that, the pain of my wound was killing me, but I had to bear it at all cost.

"Oh…" I acted like I had forgotten about them. "Well, I'm sure Van wouldn't like us to hurt his sister. Or his favorite God-General… Van told you to follow MY orders; he did it for a reason, didn't he?" Hyman looked back at the other soldiers from over his shoulder, he was clearly unsure of what to do. His colleagues shrugged at him.

"A-All right." Hyman turned on his heel. "You heard what she said; take the survivors to the Tartarus!" The crowd of soldiers saluted and then dispersed, taking various directions in search of the citizens.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Asch and Tear looking at me with perplexed looks, it made me grinned.

So, you might be wondering… when did I change my mind…? Well, I wish I knew it myself. I think it was one of those situations where you plan every move and then, you spontaneously give it a twist.

"But…" I glanced at Tear, who had finally spoken. Asch was still under some type of stupefied trance. "You say Van – I thought you had… Ah…?"

"I don't think I can explain now…" I began, rubbing my neck. "I…I didn't know why I-" Again, I was interrupted by Asch. However, this time was because he moved so suddenly and grabbed me from my arms. He didn't look relieved at all; actually, he looked like he had just realized something…something important.

"He didn't tell you, did he…?" He asked, whatever he was talking about, he looked terrified.

"He…? Who are talking about…?"

"Van, he plans to blow up this place with a hyperressonance!" Asch snapped.

"WHAT?" Tear and I looked at him wide-eyed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"He's going to use my idiotic replica to do it! We have to stop him!" That made me realize I had forgotten something really important. According to Van, Luke was a 'hero'. That's why I heard them talking about hyperresonance when we were heading to Baticul.

"Replica…? You are talking about Luke?" Tear frowned. Then, she looked at me. "You knew…?"

"I… I'm sorry." I would have told her I was a replica too, but if Van was really planning on blowing up the city then, that would have to wait. Although, the intense pain of my wound increased and I had to kneel down to make it stop.

"JUDE, Jude! What's wrong?" Tear placed a hand on my shoulder and kneeled down to my level.

"It…it hurts." I stammered, looking at my side. Asch's eyes widened when his gaze fell upon the wound.

"Shit! What happened to you?" He asked. I decided to ignore his question and observed how Tear was examining it.

"This isn't good…"Tear began, looking up at me. "Your wound has been infected with the miasma." She rummaged inside her pockets to see if she had any gels for me, but I knew she didn't have any. The worst part was that Ion had the rest of our gels and panacea bottles; he and the others were inside the mine, which was full of poison blooming from beneath the ground.

"Am I-Am I going to die?" I asked, trying to hide the panic that was building up inside me. I was hoping they would say everything was ok, but the only thing I managed with that question was to transmit my own fear. I could see it in their faces.

It was Asch's turn to look into his pockets, though he looked a little too desperate. The sight of it felt… awkward. After much search, he found no more than one piece of gel that was now, lying on his palm.

"Take this!" He commanded. I hastily grabbed the gel and popped it inside my mouth.

"You… You guys need to stop Van. I'll make… sure everyone here gets on board the Tartarus." I staggered to my feet. "Maybe I can get some panacea bottles from the soldiers." It was that last sentence the one that convinced them to leave me here.

"Jude," Tear glanced at Asch for a couple of seconds before looking back at me. "Please, stay safe." I nodded. Then, I diverted my attention to Asch, who was rubbing his temple with a murderous look on his face.

"Don't take another step!" He growled, looking away from us. He was probably making contact with Luke to prevent disaster. But apparently, he wasn't able to convince his replica. "Damn it! That idiot won't listen to me! We'll have to go and stop him ourselves after all…" Our eyes met, "Jude, I don't want you dying on me… ok?"

I scowled. "I'll be fine. Now, hurry up and stop Van. I won't let this people die…" They both agreed with a nod, and then they parted. I watched them as they ran away, if this was supposed to happen in the Score…then, I would try to prevent it at all cost.

The medallion and the truth meant little to me now. I had to focus in what was I suppose to do; I had to save this people, Oliver and his father. People that had nothing to do with whatever goal the commandant was trying to achieve.

Because I wasn't a puppet and also… because Pierce would have wanted it this way…

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><p>I was present when the first citizens were escorted to the Tartarus, the unit was doing their best to provide medical service as well. And even though I was scared about what could happen next, I remained calmed or at least, that was the impression I was trying to give.<p>

A few soldiers had provided me with panacea bottles; unfortunately, they were not having the effect I had been hoping for. The wound that stupid harpy caused was deeper than I thought, which could explain why the effects of the medicine weren't as strong as they needed to be.

Still, I did my best not to think of that or the possibility that the others could be in danger while I was supervising the evacuation. If I wanted to help… then, this was the only way I could do it. Maybe, once everyone had board the Tartarus, I could go and check how things were going in the mine, thought I was aware that the miasma was concentrated in great quantities there and that it could end up killing me.

My dreadful train of thoughts was interrupted when I saw another group of soldiers escorting a few kids, one of them was Oliver. He pushed his companions out of his way and ran towards me.

"Jude, Jude, you have to help my dad, he is inside the mine!" I looked at him with shock, not only because he wrapped his arms around my legs, but because I was right when I said the kid could have been under a secondary effect of the miasma. His eyes did no longer had that clouded and lucid appearance, they were bright and focused as ever and his face was finally taking a warm color. He probably didn't remember he had already told me his father was in the mine, the first time we met.

"Ah- O-O-Oliver, calm down please!" I said, trying to seize him by patting him on the head. I had the feeling that I would have the carry on with the responsibility of this kid.

"Jude, he has been there for a few days now! What if he dies?" He was at the verge of tears. I kneeled down to his level.

"We won't let that happen. I'll search for him with the help of the Oracle Knights, ok…?" There you go Jude, promising stuff when you don't even know if the city will blow up or not. And if that doesn't sound complicated to you then, you'll have to see what happened next.

"Excuse me, Officer Haefner?" I turned around as soon as the echoed voice of man reached my ears. I found a soldier –not really different from any of his colleagues– behind me, yet, I could tell that man wasn't part of my unit since he was taller than any of them.

"Yes, that's me." I replied. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Frederick, I'm in charge of the Tartarus, job the Commandant himself assigned me." He said, I was able to detect arrogance in the way he talked.

"Oh, really…?" I crossed my arms and raised a brow. "So what's the problem?"

"Well, the commandant never said anything about saturating the Tartarus with the people of this city." He spat. "So, I was asking myself… if he would really order that…"

"Ahhh." I gave him a mocking smile. "Well, you are actually right, Frederick; the order didn't come from the Commandant. It came from me." I felt how Oliver's hand wrapped around mine; still, I never gazed away from the soldier. Frederick was going to start speaking again, but I interrupted "Van said I was in charge of this unit, sir. You can complain about it the next time you see him."

I walked past him, taking Oliver with me. I had planned to take him to the Tartarus myself, once there, I would reunite a small group of soldiers to find Oliver's dad. Unfortunately, Frederick wasn't here to negotiate about my decision.

It only took me a few seconds to notice we were surrounded. And when I say 'we', I mean Oliver, part of my unit and me. It was obvious that the soldiers surrounding us were HIS unit. I turned around; ready to protest but a disturbing sight took my breath away.

In the distance –from the city's direction–, I could see more soldiers from his unit, escorting my soldiers back to the Tartarus and no sign of the citizens we were suppose to help.

"The people will die if we don't help them!" I roared. "You CAN'T do this!" Oliver, who was right beside me, jolted when my voice raised an octave.

"Oh, yes I can Miss Haefner." He laughed. "I, more than anyone else know this isn't what the Commandant was planning to do. I know what he aims for…"

"Ohhh." I placed a hand on my waist and walked to one of the soldiers who were surrounding us, I placed an arm on his shoulders. "Soldier, I suppose you know this city is going to blow up in any second." Then, I pointed Frederick with a thumb "I mean, I suppose Mr. Bad Ass told his crew that we would all probably die here, didn't he?"

I grinned when I heard the gasps and whispers that came from his unit. I took away my arm from the soldier's shoulders. "I guess that's a no..."

"Don't listen to her, she is lying!" He snapped. "You have to follow MY orders!"

"Oh, so what my unit is doings isn't enough proof?" I asked, looking around and making it clear that the question was for them, not for their leader." The soldiers glanced at him, all at the same time. An awkward silence started to bloom, I think… I think… they were glaring at him.

I cleared my throat for the fourth time that day, the miasma was burning it but I did it to call the attention of the soldiers once again. "The Oracle Knights are supposed to defend civilians. I know none of you are like THIS man or the Commandant." I began. "Not so long ago, a friend told me… That the Order of Lorelei and the Oracle Knights were responsible for injustices… Ignoring how fragile and precious human life is… letting people die or letting them make mistakes when they could have been prevented. Have anyone of you think about why Yulia wrote the Score…? Maybe… so we could prevent from all those tragedies to happen or… to at least have a conscious of what we were doing…?"

Everyone and even Frederick was silent, so I continued, "Of course, there was no need to write about the climate…" I chuckled, but my laugh died quickly and was replaced with a dreadful look. "My friend… he is dead… I feel responsible about his death and it kills me… I don't want to think how guilty you and I will feel if the entire population of this city vanishes... just like that. So please, I beg you… help us."

Frederick's hands balled into fists "Are you going to listen what this…this…this GIRL said?" None of them responded. After a while, the soldier I had leaned on, approached him –spear in hand– and saluted him. Frederick grinned at me in an 'I-told-you-so' way, but before I could start saying profanities, the soldier wacked him on the head with the spear.

Frederick teetered from left to right and then, fell on his back… unconscious. The soldier turned on his heel and looked at his colleagues. "We all heard Officer Haefner, there is work to do!"

That's all he had to say to make everyone forget about Frederick and head to the contaminated streets of the city. I would have expressed my relief if the wound at my side hadn't started killing me again. I groaned and fell on my knees, Oliver and the soldier that wacked Frederick on the head looked concerned about me.

"Jude, are you ok?" Oliver asked. "You don't look well."

"I was wounded before getting… to the city. It's infected with miasma." I complained with a painful look.

"I don't think we have what's necessary to cure it here." The soldier said. "But, we can help prevent something worst to happen, at least until we get to a doctor."

"N-No, I need a small party of soldiers to help me find Oliver's dad… He is inside the mine." I said, trying to stand. The soldier shook his head with disapproval and then, pulled me up.

"Jude, do you get injured all the time?" The question came from the soldier, which made me blink a few times. Normally, the soldiers would call me Officer Haefner or just Haefner, never Jude.

"Oh…." He took off his helmet to let me see his face; still, I didn't know who he was. He had black croppy hair and brown eyes. "I never showed you my face, I'm Marvin, remember the name?" I stared blankly at me, the engines of my brain working at full speed trying to decipher who he was. His smile was being replaced with a downhearted look while Oliver stared at us, eyes flickering from him to me.

A light bulb inside my head finally turned ON.

"Oh Yulia, YOU are Marvin?" I asked a little surprised. You might not remember him but I met this guy when I was still with the Six-God Generals, on board the Oracle ship. He was the soldier who provided me a first aid kit when I saved Arietta from that wolf.

He grinned. "I don't think there is time for that type of questions, Jude. We still have to figure out a way to get to Oliver's dad before its too late…"

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><p>Less than an hour later, we were heading towards the mine with a party of five soldiers, including Marvin and me. He had insisted I needed to stay in the nursery room of the Tartarus, that I would die if I went in with them, but I wasn't taking that bull shit.<p>

Oliver asked ME to go and besides, if I had told Tear and the others what Van was planning a long time ago, Luke wouldn't have gotten this far. And even though Oliver said Marvin was right, I felt it was something I needed to do.

I mean, I screw up enough, don't you think?

It's time to put everything back into place, even if I had to risk my life to do it. I think I said this before, I like being alive… although I don't really know how old I actually am. The only thing I find disturbing is that I look exactly as someone that is supposed to be dead, and that I'm not her twin sister.

I was trying to imagine Tear's and Asch's face when they get to know I'm a replica. I was trying to visualize a positive imagine but that didn't go well.

And oh Lorelei, did I really made Asch beat the shit out of me? Dude, that's sick! Alas, that's one of the things I'm going to regret for the rest of my life, one of those things you groan at when you remember it.

Anyways, I shoved all those thoughts and feelings at the back of my head and focused on my surroundings. Marvin, the other three soldiers and me were heading to the mine. Most of the citizens were still out there in the streets, begging for help and I was proud to see the soldiers were doing a good job, giving out gels and medical attention to the ones that needed them.

"Wait! Jude! Hold on!" Oliver's voice made me turn around. He was running towards us. I gave him a disapproving look as soon as he stood before us, resting his palms on his knees and gasping for air.

"What are you doing here Oliver? I told you to stay in the Tartarus. I can't let you wander around when we are in an emergency!" I hissed.

"I'm-I'm sorry, but please I want you to take me with you!" He begged.

"WHAT? Are you crazy?" I snapped, raising my hands into the air.

"She is right kid. We can't take you with us." Marvin crossed his arms.

"But I-" Oliver was about to start arguing but the strident sound of an explosion made us all look back. My heart raced faster when my eyes met the huge column of smoke and fire towering over us. The first thing I thought was that Asch and the others had failed in their attempt to stop Van, but then, the thought seemed a little contradictive. We would be dead by now, if that had been the case.

Everyone had paralyzed while looking at the fire, but I was able to visualize three figures behind the smoke curtain. The figures got clearer and clearer, not because the smoke was dissipating, but because _they_ were getting closer.

Two of the figures were unknown to me, but the other one…

"Oh, shit!" I snapped, making sure that Oliver was behind me. This could get a little dirty.

The third figure was no other than the mysterious harpy we encountered along with Legretta. If I was correct, the three of them were wearing the same cloak, the harpy and the guy in the middle had the hood on, so I couldn't see their faces. In the other hand, the guy at the left had long black hair and wore a strange mask.

"Ohhh, Jude sweetie, what a coincidence to find you here~!" The harpy mocked. Of course, it didn't took me long to know this guys were involved with the explosion. Especially because she had wrapped her blades around a barrel of TNT.

"You, again!" I shot daggers at them. "Do you have something to do with the Order?"

Marvin answered my question, "I don't think so… I've never heard of these guys before." The soldiers around us agreed with him. The man that was in-between the weirdo of mask and the harpy, inched forward.

"Ah, Jude… We've been waiting for this day to meet you." He grinned, or I think he did. "You can call me, Gold." Something about his voice wasn't…right. Gold, pointed the masked man, "This is Jacko and well… you already know the lovely lady with us…"

"Ohhh, you are such a sweetheart~!" The harpy wrapped an arm around him.

"What do you want?" I hissed. "There is no need to attack the city!" Gold tilted his head, while the others two looked unaffected, especially Jacko, who hadn't said a word yet.

"We are here to get back what belongs to Abydos." Gold said.

"A-Abydos, what's that?" I could swear I had heard that name before.

"WE are Abydos." The voice came from behind Jacko's mask. "Clan Abydos." Ah… I heard it in one of Jude's memories…

"Then… take what you are looking for. I'm pretty sure none of us needs it, there is no need to start a massacre here!" I said. Oliver had cringed behind me; he was trying to be brave and looking past my hip.

"You are wrong there…" Gold smiled. "We want our puppet back… that would be you…" They started to walk towards me.

"Wha-WHAT!" I looked at them wide-eyed. But when they were just a few feet away from me, the Oracle Knights, including Marvin, surrounded them. Marvin threw at me a pouch full with gels.

"Go ahead and look for Oliver's dad. We'll take care of them!" He yelled.

"But-"

"Just go!" He interrupted. And I had to nod. I looked back at Oliver and crouched in front of him.

"Oliver, ready for a piggyback ride?" I asked.

"Huh? What are you doing?" He said, obviously confused.

"I can't leave you in the battefield; I'd rather take you with me. Now move it!" Oliver hopped to my back and I wasted no time. I ran past the soldiers and the three members of the clan.

"She is getting away!" The harpy, growled. She was going to go after us but Gold stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Its fine, we can catch her later!" He said. I couldn't hear more after that, we were too far away and almost near the mine. Before we could go in, I looked back. The symbol at the back of their cloaks made me choke. The pair of wings and the three intertwined circles again, despite knowing what that meant… I kept running. After all, there was the life of two civilians… now, resting over my shoulders…

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><p>There was no way the members of Abydos could escape; they were surrounded by more than a hundred soldiers. Well, it's not like they were planning to escape anyway. They weren't there just to take Jude away, but to fulfill the pact they had made with the Commandant.<p>

Gold was sure he knew what would be the outcome of this battle; he didn't even take out his sword. Instead, he raised his hands in front of him and took a fighting stance. He didn't need a weapon to get rid of those idiots.

He looked at his companions, who were ready with their own weapons. A mirror and an urumi were considered odd weapons. But he didn't mind, he knew the three of them could take any army… any time.

"So… can you repeat what goes next after this?" Jacko asked, with a certain burlesque tone leaking out from his voice. The harpy giggled, looking at them over her shoulder.

"After this," Gold began, while his eyes locked on his first target. "the citizens go next…"

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><p>I ran and ran, inside the mine. My heart was drumming against my chest, a terrible anxiety creeping over me. I tried not to breathe so frequently, the miasma was burning my lungs and a wheezing sound came out of my mouth every time I looked around.<p>

It was going to be hard to find Oliver's dad with so much poisonous fog clouding my senses. But I wasn't giving up. Oliver popped another gel into my mouth when I order him to do it; at least, they were keeping me focused on the task at hand.

I tell you, fighting monsters while carrying a ten year old boy in you back isn't easy, especially when you've been poisoned. Also, I can't say the mine was a place of sunshine and rainbows, I was glad they were torches attached to the asperous walls; otherwise this place would be like a damn tomb.

"Hey, Jude, look over there!" I followed his gaze and stared in shock when my eyes met what he was looking at. Ahead, there were a lot of bodies scattered on the floor. None of them was moving… or breathing, I could tell because their skin had a grayish color… the color of death. Not to mention, the horrendous smell they were emanating…

"Don't look at them." I commanded.

"But, Dad coul-"

"Don't!" I insisted, walking away from the bodies and heading even deeper. I started to hear voices coming from the other side of the mine, at the same time, the ground started shaking. I followed the voices until we reached a large room, different from what the mine looked like.

Having no more energy, I collapsed. I was too tired and the effects of the poison had gotten stronger. Oliver jumped off my back and stayed by my side. "Jude, are you ok?" But I didn't have time to answer his question.

"Let' me go! I'm going to die here too!" I looked up as soon as I heard Asch's voice; he was suspended in the air with an arm trapped inside the beak of a flying monster. He was trying to set himself free.

"Asch!" I yelled, considering that a fall from that height would kill him instantly.

"Jude! What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed. I've no idea…

"I'd intended to save Ion with that, but now I have no choice." Van said, I didn't even notice he was there, flying over another monster. "I can't afford to lose you." Then, he looked at me, "I should have known better, you were never capable of performing a simple task."

"N-Not for you, at least…" I spat.

"I would crush your mind if I could; unfortunately, you are now in Oblivion's hands…" Van frowned.

"O-Oblivion?" I gasped, staggering to my feet with the help of Oliver.

Van took out his medallion and raised it above his head, "This is Oblivion!" He said. "Your days are numbered, replica Jude!" Asch stared in shock at him.

"Van, you've betrayed me!" Tear –who I didn't notice either– growled (I don't think she got to hear the 'replica Jude!' part). "You said you were going to preserve the Outer Lands! What about the people of Akzeriuth? The Oracle Soldiers in the Tartarus! They'll be killed!"

"N-NO!" I groaned, I was going to head back to the city but Oliver stopped me.

"You will die if you go in again!" He said, grabbing my hand.

"…Mysterica, someday you'll come to understand the folly and ugliness of this world." He said. "I want you to live… At least long enough to come to your senses. You have the fonic hymns. Use them..." Van made a gesture with his fingers and the monsters started to fly away, taking him and Asch away. Pure terror was plastered on the redhead's face when he looked at me for the last time.

"Damn, the tunnels are collapsing!" Jade complained, carrying Ion on his back while Guy went for Luke, who was unconscious as well.

"Everyone, come close. Hurry!" Tear yelled.

"Jude!" Anise and Natalia ran towards us and helped Oliver and I to get faster to where Tear was. I was so tired I was practically dragging my feet.

"Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze…" A purplish barrier started to form under Tear's feet, constructing itself over our heads as well. I pushed Oliver down to the floor and hugged him tightly; the floor was moving uncontrollably and breaking to pieces.

…And before we fell… I saw the man known as Gold… watching us from the entrance…

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><p><strong>SONGS:<strong>

**Regret -Tantric (Jude and Asch)**

**The Enemy Warlock Appears - Lineage 2 (Olympiad Theme, I miss Olys D:) (Also, I played this song while Abydos appeared in this chapter.)**

**Fortune of Flames - Lineage 2 (OMG Abydos!)**


	20. Chapter 20: Truth and Blood

**WEEEEEEEEEEEEE Update!**

**Ok, guys I HAZ BAD NEWS! D:**

**SAI free trail expired! Which is really sad since I was getting used to it, this has to be a FML moment, yes! But, I'll try getting photoshop from my ex-computer class teacher! Hooray for cool teachers!**

**In the other hand, I'm glad I finally got to this chapter... FINALLY!**

**Also, I'll be putting a poll in my profile, I want to know how many girls and boys (if there is more than one I'll be happy) are reading SoO. Still, I'm aware this story is... girly, cheezy and EWWWW! BUT I CAN DREAM GAIS, I CAN! **(if you can't see the poll yet its cuz ff is being a dick.)**  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 20: Truth and Blood<p>

Through my eyes, the world was spinning. I didn't know where the floor or the sky was, I was disoriented. Because of the poison…? Maybe. But all I knew is that we were falling, falling to the abyss, perhaps. The wind was blowing on our faces, gravity pulling us down to nothingness.

The sound of something breaking –might have been the Outer Lands– was everywhere; a mortifying sound that was crushing our ears. And a few seconds later, it stopped with an imminent force crushing us against the floor.

When the pain on my body seized, I opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings without letting Oliver go.

"Is-Is everyone ok?" My eyes followed the direction the voice was coming from, I found Guy –whose hair and clothes were a mess– looking at me with an apologetic smile.

"We…are fine." I said, glancing at Oliver, who was too scared say anything. Right after I answered, Tear, Natalia, Jade, Ion and Anise did the same. They appeared through the curtain of dust that was still clouding great part of our vision, looking as dirty and chaotic as Guy and me.

Through all the fog, I was able to visualize long strands of red hair spilled on the floor. I crawled towards Luke to see if he was ok.

"Lu-Luke?" I shook his shoulder gingerly. He had lost consciousness, but apart from that, he was ok. Right beside him, was a really scared Mieu, who had been watching over him even before I got there. My eyes were locked on the redhead, empty thoughts swirling in my mind, still trying to process what had just happen.

"Jude was poisoned." I heard Tear say; probably explaining the others what had happened while she was checking the 'Seventh Fonstone'. "We need to cure her wounds or else…"

"Master! Thank Goodness!" Mieu's cry of joy indicated me Luke had waked up. Even though I had been looking at him for a while, I hadn't noticed, there was too much to think about.

Oliver's cry redirected my attention back to him, and I looked at him eye-wide. Now that the dust had started to dissipate, I could see we were surrounded by dead bodies. "Oh, shit!" I snapped, and rushed to his side to cover his eyes.

"They… they are all dead." Anise said with a tone of disbelief.

"We were the only ones that survived…?" Natalia asked, downhearted."

"I'm… I'm afraid so…" I mumbled.

"We would have run with the same luck if it wasn't for Tear's fonic hymns." Jade commented, the displeasure of seeing the lifeless bodies of innocent civilians was plastered on his face.

Ion approached to me. "Jude, I would like to discuss something with you later…" I closed my eyes and nodded.

"My dad… he is… he is…" Oliver sobbed. And I hugged him in response. I had failed him… to him and the people of Akzeriuth. From the dreadful look Tear had on her face, I could tell she felt the same way.

The cry of a boy –who wasn't Oliver– made us scanned the area attentively until we were able to visualize two figure –one on top of the other– and laying over a small chunk of land. It took me a few seconds to understand what was going on.

"There is someone there!" Tear snapped.

"Daddy… it hurts… Daddy!"I stared in shock at the horrendous scene that was about to play in front of us.

"Hang on, I'll save you!" Natalia ran towards the liquefied mantle surrounding us. But Tear grabbed her arm.

"Stop! That's a bottomless sea of mud and miasma! You'll die if you jump in there!" Tear warned.

"Then what can we do for that boy?" Natalia asked desperately.

"We might reach them if we stretch a little!" I said.

"No, let's try healing fonic artes from here. They might reach." Tear suggested.

"He's sinking!" Guy yelled, pointing at them. Indeed, the small chuck of land was being engulfed by the miasma. I didn't know if the kid's father was unconscious or dead, probably the latter, he wasn't moving at all.

The sight made Oliver cry even harder, I was aware that he might have known the kid that was now about to die.

"No!" Jade balled his hands into fists.

"Mommy… help. Daddy… help!" What was left of the Outer Lands rumbled beneath our feet, we fought against gravity to maintain our balance. And right before our eyes, the miasma swallowed the small piece of land completely, taking that kid and his father with it.

Guy smashed a fist on the ground out of frustration. It was definitely hard for all of us to feel so useless when they had been right in front of us.

Anise stared at empty air. "Is this place going to break apart, too?"

"Let's go to the Tartarus." Jade started, pointing at the landship –which was conveniently stationed not so far away. "The emergency buoy is operational, and it's managing to stay above the mud." Jade was right, even when the Tartarus was defying the laws of physics.

We didn't have any other option anyway, so we marched towards the landship. Luke, who had been quiet all this time, was lost in his own train of thoughts and that seemed to have been worrying Mieu for quite some time.

I still didn't know how the gentle creature could be worried over the person that treated him like trash. But aghhh, I had to stop the 'must-hate-Luke-no-matter-what' thoughts right there, for some reason I could no longer feel disgust towards him, even when he was a douche bag.

Probably because I knew that what happened in Akzeriuth was not only his fault, but my fault too. I could have… said something, if I had shared the information… maybe we would have figure out what Van was planning without having Asch telling us.

The landship had gotten my attention –before more depressive thoughts could flood my head–, now that it was in front of us. At least, I was glad that some of the citizens could make it to the Tartarus… Or so I thought…

When the gate of the landship opened –slipping out the mechanic staircase and taking shape in front of our eyes–, I could tell something wasn't right from the very beginning. Jade look back at us, and frowned. I think he was able to perceive that something was wrong too.

I climbed the stairs as hastily as possible.

"Jude!" Jade tried to warn me, but it was too late. I petrified as soon as I looked at the interior of the ship. It was a mess… of blood, flesh, bodies. Pieces of armors and weapons lying on the floor, some of those pieces still had limbs attached to them, hands, legs, or heads.

Lifeless bodies contorted in unimaginable ways, cracked bones… ones had no skin. Another soldier had been hanged with wires that came out from the false ceiling of the ship. Tear and the others had petrified just beside me; everyone was too shocked to cover Oliver's eyes this time.

And without thinking much, I found myself running through the halls of the lanship. Ignoring all the mess and hoping that at least the civilians that board the ship were alive… hoping to calm my desperation by just looking at them…alive.

But once I got to the deck, all my hopes died. The civilians were there, and none of them looked different from the lifeless bodies we had encounter in the entrance. I walked past them, completely lost; all my expectative for those people were gone with the wind.

I didn't even notice that I had started crying; tears slipped out of my tear ducts and ran down my cheeks in a loss of everything… words and thoughts. A couple of seconds later, Tear and the others appeared, apparently, they had yelled my name when I started running. They must have had followed me all the way there.

And of course, their reaction wasn't different. And just like I expected, Luke was even more frightened than what Oliver must have been all his life. The kid was having a better reaction than him, still, not an emotionless one.

As I kept walking towards the bow, I noticed that _they_ had written something on the floor, using blood as ink. It said, 'I TOLD YOU I WOULD MAKE YOU SUFFER.' Right beside the message, _she_ had drawn a heart. I bit my lip out of anger; the tears that came out from my eyes were heavier.

"Who would… who would do this?" Natalia asked, tears running down her face as well. I gritted my teeth and turned around as I balled my hands into fists. Only one word came to my head.

"Abydos…

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><p>We were able to clean a corner of the deck, so we could be a little bit more comfortable. There we were, waiting for Jade in front of one of the gates of the landship. He was the only one who was brave enough to check the controller room of the Tartarus.<p>

Everyone was caught in their own train of thoughts. Silence ruling over us, the atmosphere was indeed, dreadful. Countless lives had been lost, not even the Oracle Knights or the civilians that we had saved could escape from death. A punishment that had been taken by people that did not deserved it.

Grief was expected, Van's plan could have been prevented, but… what about the massacre? Probably not, they were less than us but they always had the advantage… they always did. Marvin… Frederick and his soldiers, they all died in a much crueler, painful way… in the hands of Clan Abydos. What did they gain by doing it? I did not know… they were there to take me then, why…?

I was suffering a stomach flipping sensation; I had seen too much blood, too much death. And I knew I wasn't the only one that felt like that, I noticed the others were suffering the same symptoms.

Oliver, who had sat on the floor –resting his back on the wall–, looked much better now. Well, when I say 'much better', I mean he wasn't crying anymore. But it was obvious that all the things he had seen today were going to cause him some sort of trauma.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the gate opened itself and Jade reappeared through the other side.

"It looks like it will still run." Jade commented.

"Were there more bodies….there?" I asked.

"I'd prefer to avoid answering that question…" He sighed, fixing the position of his glasses. "But I'm curious… You mentioned something about Abydos… What's that?"

"It's a clan." I replied, crossing my arms, covering the wound at my side. I had been able to endure the pain with the gels Ion had been keeping. "That mysterious woman who attacked us along with Legretta… She… She is part of that clan. There are also two more guys, Jacko and Gold." I paused and swallowed thickly before continuing, "They appeared when the Oracle Knights and I were trying to save the people of the city. T-They were after me, they said I was a puppet and…" I thought saying I was a replica was going to be easier. "The Oracle Knights provided our escape… I don't know why they killed civilians, but what I know is that they are involved with Mystic and Oblivion."

"Mystic…? Oblivion..? What are you talking about?" Anise asked.

"Medallions… Van has one… Asch has…has the other one…" I said, feeling tired by the second. The poison had spread quickly, and the effects of the gels were less effective now. "They…have to do…with what is happening with my eye…"

Jade looked at me with expectancy, "And how long have you know this..?"

"I-I…"

"You knew what Van was planning?"

"NO! I- It's not like that I-"

"Then, how come you know this stuff? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was… I was just-"

"A double agent?"

"Colonel, stop!" Tear growled, making everyone flinch. She placed a hand over my shoulder. "Jude is not in condition to answer your questions; we need to take out the poison out of her system. Besides, Jude was the one who got the idea of taking all the citizens to the Tartarus."

I just stared at her with a blank expression; she deserved to know I wasn't her friend, that she was dead. But how? How could I tell her?

"There is a place called Yulia City here in the Qliphoth. It should be to the west." Tear continued."Let's try heading there. The elders might know a way to cure Jude."

Jade looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Very well then..." He shrugged. "Tear, you seem to know a lot of this place. I'd like to hear an explanation once we're safe."

With that, the silence ruled over us again. I staggered towards the wall and slid my back on it –trying to avoid pain– until I sat on the floor, right beside Oliver.

"How… How are you doing?" I asked him, showing as much concern as I could. I didn't want him to think no one was going to take care of him from now on. Everyone was too concentrated on what Luke had done that none of them had paid attention to the kid.

"Huh? I'm fine… I guess." He said, hugging his legs and resting his chin on his knees. "I should be the one asking if you are ok…"

I grinned. "I'll survive. Don't worry about me. But I'm worried about you… I'm sorry…" I paused. "I wasn't able to save your father."

Oliver shook his head. "Not your fault. The Oracle Knights could have started saving the people of the city even before you guys arrived." Yes, of course, but Van wasn't planning on saving the people. He knew everyone would die. What was the point in doing that?

"Once we get to Yulia City, I'll take you with the elders. I think you'll have to stay with them." I said. The idea made me wonder if they would receive me or kick me out, Jude was exiled from the city… Had they changed their mind…? Maybe I could ask them about Abydos, they must have information about them.

"I suppose you are right." Oliver sighed. "You know, I had the feeling that something like this would happen. That daddy was going to die and that I would have to stay with someone else."

"You and I are not so different," I began. "None of us has a place to go, or someone to hold on to."

"Hmmm, what about Tear? She defended you, didn't she? Isn't she your friend?" He asked.

"A-Ah… yes, but… Things might change soon." I replied.

"And Asch…? That guy who was taken away by the man with thick brows." I snickered at the 'thick brows' part. "The redhead that looks like Luke, isn't he important? You looked worried about him." My laugh died at the 'isn't he important' part.

"He is important…" I replied. "But like I said, things might change for me…"

Oliver tilted his head. "Did you do something wrong?"

"I've done terrible things Oliver. It's probable that they might never forgive me. And even though that makes me sad, I'll have to bear it." I smiled, ruffling his hair.

"You are not alone." He said, grabbing my hand. "If I'm alive, it's because of you." OH, LORELEI, DON'T START CRYING NOW, JUDE. Instead, I tried to smile.

"Thanks, bro...

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><p>"No matter how far we go, there is nothing in sight." Guy's comment made Oliver and the rest of us to look at him. True, we had spent a few hours just going around –probably in circles. I was just praying to stay alive until we could find Yulia City. "… Are we really underground?"<p>

"…In a way. The place you live is known down here as the 'Outer Lands' – the world's outer shell. It's a floating land called the 'Sephiroth Trees' that extend from the Qliphoth." Wait, if Tear knows about the Sephiroth Trees because she is from Yulia City, then why couldn't I remember what they were? Maybe Van deleted those memories… Was that even possible?

"I don't understand." Natalia frowned.

"Long ago, the Outer Lands were here in the Qliphoth." Tear said.

"Unbelievable…" True story, guys.

"Two thousand years ago, the miasma enveloped Auldrant and infected the land. That's when Yulia read the seven-part Score, finding a way to escape destruction and bring prosperity." Blah blah, yadda yadda.

"Based on the Score, Yulia proposed a plan to raise the planet's crust using the Sephiroth." Ion continued.

"And that's the beginning of the Outer Lands, huh… That's quite a story." Guy closed his eyes and rubbed his chin.

"Yes. Only Maestros and above know in the Order of Lorelei know." Ion nodded. "As do those born in the Qliphoth."

"Then you are from the Qliphoth, Tear?" Anise asked. Tear nodded.

"Jude and I are from the Qliphoth." She clarified. Which manage to make everyone glance at me, it felt… awkward.

"At any rate, we've fallen down here." Ion noted. "We were saved by Tear's fonic hymn."

"Why did this happen?" Jade asked, looking at Tear, though the question seemed to be for Ion. "You said Akzeriuth was supported by a pillar, correct?"

"Yes, but … the pillar disintegrated." Ion sighed.

"How?" Anise tilted her head and frowned. In the end, all gazes fell upon Luke; it had to happen one way or another.

"…I-I don't know anything about it! I was just trying to neutralize the miasma!" Luke protested. "He told me that if I caused a hyperresonnance there, the miasma would disappear…!"

"My brother deceived you. And you destroyed the pillar that supported Akzeriuth." Tear scowled. Are they… are they going to blame him for everything?

"No! That can't be…"

"Van ordered you to stand next to the passage ring." Ion said with a sad look. "Those passage rings are what produce the pillars… Tear is probably right. I was careless; I never dreamed Van would do such a thing…"

"I wish Luke had at least discussed it with us before hand." Jade glared at him. "Neutralizing the miasma could have waited until the residents were evacuated. Of course, there is little point in saying that now." Oliver had been paying attention to the discussion, while guilt was building up inside me… I was responsible too.

"Yes, Akzeriuth is gone. Thousands of lives lost in an instant…" Natalia closed her eyes and shook her head.

"A-Are you saying it's my fault?" Luke asked. I couldn't stand it any longer when they all stared at him like he was a criminal. True, he might have done something stupid, and he might have been an ass all his time but… he didn't killed Pierce, he didn't know who Van really was.

"You – You can't blame him for everything that happened!" I snapped, staggering to my feet. "I'm… I'm guilty too." Oliver, Luke and even the others looked a little surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Tear asked. "You were only trying to save the people of Akzeriuth."

"N-no…" I lowered my head. "The original plan was to take Tear away from the city… Van… Van ordered me to do it..."

"You knew what Van was planning?" Guy asked, a little pissed.

"N-No, I mean, yes, part of it. The only thing he told me was that he wanted to take Tear away once she had check the fake 'Seventh Fonstone'. He told me that when we were still in Baticul. But I didn't know he was planning on blowing up the city…."

"If Tear is your friend," Natalia began; I could see disgust in her face. Fuck, I'm not interested in knowing what she thinks "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I-I'm-"

"See?" Luke interrupted. "Master Van and… Jude… She told me to do it!"

"WHAT?" I looked at him in disbelief. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! HE IS LYING! HE IS LYING!" I never expected him to be such a coward. I was just trying to help him! I was so damn frustrated that tears started to come out from my eyes again, fuck everything!

I staggered to him and grabbed him by the collar of his coat. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I HATE YOU!" Then, I looked back at the others; my moment of hysteria was just starting. "VAN WAS IN A CELL WHEN THEY TOOK ME TO JAIL, IN BATICUL! He had been controlling Jude's memories with that medallion!"

"J-Jude's memories?" Tear looked terrified. "Jude, what are you saying?" I grabbed her by her arms and shook her violently.

"CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I'M NOT JUDE! NO ONE IS JUDE! SHE DOESN'ST EXISTS ANYMORE!" I've no idea why I started laughing, but that simple made everyone stare at me like I was going nuts. Ok, maybe I WAS going nuts… "I'M A REPLICA OF HER! CAN'T YOU SEE?" I took out my shoes and gave her a psychotic smile. "See? The scar, it's not there. That's because I'm not her!" I laughed. "SHE IS DEAD!" Now I was crying again, yelling like a seven year old making a tantrum.

I shook Tear again, but with less force. It was as if crying was taking all my energy. "She is dead, Tear. She is dead. She is dead." She was too shocked to say anything, to do anything, but tears had started to roll down her face too. Probably because she thought her best friend was going insane.

"I… I killed Pierce…" I sniffed. "I killed him; I killed him in that boat, he was only trying to help me and I…. I KILLED HIM!" Everyone stayed in silence, looking how the blue-haired chick was losing it.

"Natalia, would you like to help me?" I heard Jade saying; still I didn't look away from Tear and kept rambling senselessly. I was caught off guard when Natalia wrapped her arms around my left arm while Jade took the other side.

They started to drag me back, away from Tear and into the interior of the Tartarus. They waited for the gate to open and then, kept dragging me, the heels of my boots grazing against the landship's flooring.

I fought back desperately, but it was useless. The others looked at me with pale faces and wide-eyes. Even Oliver had that same face.

"Y-YOU ALL THINK I'M CRAZY, DON'T YOU?" But Jade and Natalia didn't listen; they just kept dragging me, until the gate closed behind us

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><p>Asch swayed back and forth, the strong wind currents blowing through the crimson strands of his hair. He tried not to look down; he didn't want to be the subject of vertigo, not when he was twenty-five thousand feet away from the ground and caught between the claws of a stupid flying monster that wouldn't let go.<p>

"ARGH! Let me go you idiotic piece of shit!" He growled, trying to get his arm loose from the large monster suspending him in the air. Asch had lost sight of Van but in exchange he had a ringside seat to see the explosion his moronic replica had caused.

A small sphere of energy –at least, it looked small from where he was– had appeared in the center of the city, throwing shockwaves everywhere. But in an instant, the sphere grew larger and larger, engulfing the whole city and disintegrated everything it touched with a blast.

'She is ok.' He thought. 'She HAS to be…' repeated to himself. He couldn't believe what his eyes had seen, how the crust of the Auldrant had crumbled into pieces, leaving a massive hole where he had been a few minutes ago, where _she_ had been.

There was still a lot of information that he couldn't process. Did Van say 'replica Jude'? Or was it just his imagination? Probably the latter –or at least, that's what he wanted to think.

But that didn't matter know, he wanted to know if Jude was ok, just that. Though that wasn't going to happen if that bird-brained monster kept dragging him from one place to another.

However, Asch was lucky today –maybe not so lucky. His medallion had gotten out of his tabard while he was struggling, letting it on view. The rays of the sun reflected on the medallion, and the sparkly effect that was making caught the attention of the monster, to the point that the beast wanted to grab it with the beak.

"WHA-what the hell, stop you stupid bird!" Asch hissed. The redhead stopped squirming as soon as he got an idea. He grabbed the medallion and ripped it out from his necklace with a yank. "You want it? Take it!" And threw it to the monster, the object smacked it on the head and the first reaction was to let 'The Bloody' go.

Nonetheless, the redhead had forgotten how high they were flying. And even though they were right above a forest at the outsides of Akzeriuth, he knew the possibility of surviving a fall from there was… He was so dead.

He closed his eyes, gravity making pressure on his chest, the wind slipped into his garments and made them sway frantically.

He was waiting to hear his body smacking on the floor, or how his bones would break. Asch wasn't pleased with what was happening, but if he ever wanted to feel like a bird, he could at least imagine it before dying.

Was Jude dead? Would he regret dying if she wasn't? Was she a replica? Many questions ran through his head, but he ignored them, what could he do now? At least, he was able to admit that hitting the monster and losing the medallion at the same time was the stupidest thing he had ever done… He had lost sight of the important object, important him, at least.

Still, he could blame Jude for being so… so…so damn special to him, the main reason that had drove him to do this type of stupidities without thinking first.

Asch the Bloody stopped cursing himself when _something _–that didn't feel so different from the claws of the same flying monster– grabbed his leg and pulled him up. When he opened his eyes, he found himself upside down with crimson hair all over his face, obstructing the not so pleasant view of how close he was from dying –just a few feet away from the floor.

He looked up, ready to glare at what he thought was the same creature he had escaped from a few minutes ago. To his surprise, the monster holding him upside down was another creature, a giant hawk.

"What the fuck?" He raised a brow. "What the hell is going on with all the freakin' flying monsters?" We all know Asch isn't the sort of person that would express how grateful he was that someone had saved his life… So more or less, that was his way to say thank you... More or less…

Asch was going to protest again but he abstained himself from doing it when he caught a glimpse of something tied to one of the hawk's legs. Some sort of scroll that had been tied with a red ribbon. But what called his attention the most was that said scroll had a symbol printed on it, the symbol of the Order of Lorelei.

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><p><strong>No songs for this one GUYS!<strong>


	21. Chapter 21: The Garden

**WHOOOO Chapter 21! New Theme song~!**

**This song is called Wheel of Dawn in English (just saying). (And Gundam Seed)  
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**MORE NEWS GUYS:**

***For those who have read Black Waters is my DA, second chapter is up. FINALLY! I swear I had so much frustration with that one.**

***GOT SAI AND PHOTOSHOP FOR FREE BIATCHES!**

***Last, but not least, I've been having economic problems recently, which is forcing me to SELL MY STUFF!(sadface). Hopefully I'll get some money from them, gotta sell scuptures, paintings and a big ass mosaic (Of Tales of Vesperia. I'm so goin to sell that on e-bay!), which is still not finished.  
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**SO, if I don't get any chapter uploaded by next thursday, I'm deeply sorry. D:**

**For those people that talk with me VIA PM, Hey, I'm still going to answer, lol I love talking about random stuff. XD  
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><p>Shaded by the trees, calling out to the wind, I'm lying face-down crying<br>I saw a version of myself I didn't even recognize  
>On this guitar I'm playing the melody of someone who's passed on<br>A star falls in the grief of someone who'll never be seen again

Please don't go, no matter how much you scream,  
>all it will do is quietly stir these orange petals<br>Saved on my soft brow,  
>I send the memories in my palm far away<br>An eternal farewell as I keep strumming

The heart of a child clinging to a gentle hand  
>The blazing wheels cast it off and continue on<br>On this guitar I'm playing the grief of someone who's passed on  
>The strings in my heart being plucked at violently<p>

In the pure white unstained by sorrow,  
>the orange petals stirred in a summer shadow<br>Even if my soft brow is lost,  
>I'll cross over the far off, red-stained sand<br>The rhythm of farewell

Branded into my memories, on the ever-turning earth,  
>there is something sprouting in remembrance<p>

Sending off the dawn's carriage  
>Those orange petals are stirring somewhere even now<br>The peaceful daybreak I once saw  
>Until it is placed in my hands once more,<br>please don't let the light go out  
>The wheels are turning<p>

Akatsuki no Kuruma by FictionJunction Yuuka (translated lyrics)

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><p>Chapter 21: The Garden<p>

I hugged my legs tightly and looked up; it was just me and the four walls of one of the many bedrooms inside the Tartarus. The silence was brutal and the floor was cold as ice. The gears inside my head had paralyzed ever since Jade and Natalia locked me up in there. Ah, mental breakdown~.

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand to sweep away the tears. I wasn't sure what was making me feel miserable, the fact that I had gone out of control and acted like a schizo. Or that I had been too honest in the process.

Really ironic, now I was worried about if they had believed what I said or not. I was pretty sure everyone thought I was crazy or something. How could I prove them they were wrong? Well, slamming the door and cursing had only worsened my situation. Just so you know, I was still hysterical when I did that…

I rested my chin on my knees and sighed. "What am I suppose to do now?"

I covered my face with my hands, there was so much… shame and disgust in the atmosphere, it was like having someone whispering into your ear, telling you how much you fucked up everything. Geez,thanks 'Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood' you make me feel soooo much better!

I had to push away the emoness when the door finally opened.

At the other side of it, appeared no other than the small green-haired Fon Master. I stood up and soon as he stepped into the room. His signature smile drew on his face. But before he could say anything, I spoke first.

"How is she?" I asked, a little too anxious to know the answer.

"Tear is strong." He began. "We are doing our best so she can understand… before you can talk to her again." I plopped down on the bed and stared at my hands as if they were dirty.

"Jade and you… you two knew what I am. How…?"I swallowed thickly, Ion approached and sat beside me.

"Remember that I told you I wanted to talk with you?" He asked, gaze locked on the floor. I nodded. "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you, Jude. You are… different."

"I… I think we all know that by now." I chuckled, giving him an innocent –but fake– smile.

"No, I mean… you are different from a standard replica." He clarified, blinking a few times, like if that was helping him clear his mind from all my psychotic performance.

I raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember that time you sent Dist flying? The strange arte you did?"

"Uh… Yeah. What about that?" I replied.

"Well, I was certain that I had seen that arte somewhere. At least, the name. I hadn't said anything because I couldn't remember where I had seen it." He said, holding his chin.

"So… That means you already remembered?" I tilted my head. I'm starting to wonder, why didn't they tell me this before?

"That's right. After a while, I realized I saw that arte's name in a list of forbidden artes, at Daath's Cathedral. " He said. "If I'm correct, that list is –at least– two-hundred years old."

"What the f- Are you serious?" I snapped.

"Yes, the Dawn Age of Auldrant, around Yulia's time." He said, rubbing his neck tiredly.

"WHOA Wha- Hold on a second. You are saying my artes are ancient artes?" I asked, even when what he said was pretty obvious. I think I tend to do that a lot, stupid questions.

"Not only that." He sighed. "If those artes are in that list then, it means they are too powerful and that maybe they come from an obscure source." I analyzed his words for a few seconds.

"The medallions?" I looked back at him to confirm my suspicions. Well, at least I got to figure out that much!

"After you told us about the medallions, I realized that could be a possibility." He mused. "You said Van was controlling Jude's memories with… Oblivion?"

"Yeah… Still, I'm not sure how that works." I wrinkled my nose. Oddly enough, he smiled and then, stood up, which indicated me that he was probably leaving now.

"Ion, wait…" I mumbled, looking at my thumbs instead of looking him in the face.

"Yes?" He asked; an expression of genuine curiosity on his face.

"I… You know, about Pierce…" I began, shaking my head in self disappointment. "What I said about him – I really… I really kil-" Before I could finish the sentence, he showed me the palm of his hand, a gesture to make me stop talking.

"Jude… I don't think we can talk about that now…" He frowned, which made me feel worst. Sometimes you don't need to hear what other people think about your actions, you can know a lot by just looking at their body language. I'm not sure what's better, getting someone to be honest with you or just getting a dirty look. "I think that's something we'll have to discuss with the others as well." Ok, now, what can be worst than 'discussing it with the others'?

That's more like, let's reunite and fuck them together, let's see who hits the hardest. Ahh, karma, I fucking hate you.

"Oh… ok." Was my answer. I mean, seriously, what could I say? The only thing I could do now was hide my tail between my legs, like dogs do. You know, when they are like 'Oh, shit. Master isn't too happy. Quick, puppy eyes!'

Ion nodded and then turned on his heel. "You can get out of the room now; we can't _all_ blame you when you did what had to be done at the end. Everything will be fine…"

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><p>I sat at the far corner of the control room, feeling like a total reject. And no one dared to change that. Not so far away from me was Luke, who had obviously been crying, his eyes were almost as red as his own hair. And that glass-looking shine in his eyes gave it away too. Yeah, definitely~!<p>

I was only able to suppose that he was the one who got the 'let's-be-honest-with-him-guys' type of conversation. None of us was having a good time. Seriously, I swear there was an invisible dividing line that went across the whole room. Originals here, mother fucking replicas over there!

Even Oliver was acting strange. Ok, he is a kid, maybe he got a 'little bit' scared after my hysteria. I don't blame him, I mean; I'm just a 'lunatic girl' he met about two or three hours ago. Besides, he looks really comfortable talking to Natalia now… Bitch.

You know, I'm not sure why I didn't bite her when she was helping Jade drag me to that room, it does sound like something 'hysteric Jude' would've done. Yeah, I definitely got all psyched with the wrong person (Tear).

AnyWHORE, now that I've expressed my feelings towards Natalia, we can talk about our Locrian Sergeant. Tear hasn't even turned around to look at me when Ion gave me permission to get out of the room, which might have been one of the reasons why no one dared to get near me. Sheesh, group pressure sucks.

"I can see something!" Natalia said, looking through the dome-like glass window of the control room.

"Is that… a waterfall?" Anice asked, quite impressed at the sight of a waterfall that came down from the sky. I would have got closer to have a better look, but nope, replicas in the replica side, you guys! I don't want to go and have Tear bite my head off either.

"Yes. It's sea water from the Outer Lands coming down. The city's inside." Tear replied.

"Won't the water pressure crush the Tartarus?" Guy asked, a little anxious. You know, getting crushed doesn't sound bad at all.

"Don't worry. The water vaporizes near the ground." Tear assured. Ok, gotta uncheck Yulia City's waterfall from my 'Best Locations to Commit Suicide' list. At least it's impossible while riding the Tartarus.

"Then, here we go." Jade said, taking control of the…controllers.

We went through the magnificent waterfall without a problem. Even though we were already there, it took us at least twenty minutes or so to get out of the ship. Have you ever tried parking a motherfucking landship? Do you even know how hard it is? No, I don't think so! A false step and you can say bye-bye to the Yulia City's wharf. That's why Jade is in charge of crazy shit like that, which reminds me I haven't expressed my love for him in a while. I love you Jade, at least when you are not a dick.

Anyway, you can bet Luke and I were the last ones to get out of the Tartarus. The dividing line was still there, I mean, even when it was just imaginary, I didn't want to get in Tear's way…or… just… I didn't want…you know… confrontation…thingies.

But that wasn't all! I was now in Yulia City, the place where everyone hates and fucks Jude. So, is it going to be different with me? I don't know, but from what I saw in Jude's memories, most of the elders here are assholes.

"Wow…! This is Yulia City?" Anise looked at Tear wide-eyed.

"Yes. The mayor's inside." Tear said. Then, she looked back at Oliver and smiled at him. "I'll take you with the elders, ok?" Oliver turned around and looked at me, he seemed worried.

"Doesn't Jude need to go to the doctor?" Oliver asked. "She is still poisoned." Sheesh, I had forgotten about that with what happened, no wonder why I've been saying so much crap. Seriously, I feel like I drank six bottles of beer… Ok, less, but still!

Tear frowned and then glared at me. "That isn't her na-"

"It's not necessary to bring that up, now." I interrupted her. Yulia, she doesn't have to rub it on my face. In response, she wrinkled her nose; things were heating up a little.

"Whoa, easy girls!" Guy said anxiously.

"Shut up, Guy!" Tear and I roared at the same time. That made him jolt and hide behind the small Fon Master, not a good hideout, if you ask me.

Jade folded his arms behind his back, and then sighed. "Let's hurry up. Jude needs medical attention urgently." Without waiting for an answer, the Colonel started walking away, followed by Anise, Natalia, Guy, Ion and Oliver.

I started to walk right behind them, but when I looked back, I noticed Tear and Luke had stayed behind. I considered following the others or waiting for my other two companions, I'm not sure why I opted for the latter when it's obvious that Tear hates me and I hate Luke.

"…How long are you going to stand there?" Tear asked him, impatiently. "Everyone's gone to the mayor's house."

"All they'll do is keep accusing me of stuff." Luke whined. "I don't want to go."

"You are even more pathetic than I thought, reject!" Oh Fuck…

Yeah, just a few feet away from them was no other than Asch the Bloody and… WHAT… THE…FUCK? His bad boy semblance went down the toilet when he decided to use the word 'pathetic' while having a hawk standing over his head.

"…You! Uh…. " Luke raised a brow when he noticed the medium size bird standing over his twin's head. Tear looked quite confused too.

"Asch… why do you-" Asch interrupted me.

"Not now!" He growled, waving a hand over his head to make the bird go away, instead the creature glided and posed over his shoulder. Were… were those feathers the ones tangled in his hair?

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked. "Where is Master Van?"

Asch walked past him with a disgusted look on his face. "Hah! You still call him 'Master' after he's betrayed you?"

"…Betrayed me? Then, Master Van really did want me to destroy Akzeriuth?" Gosh, Luke can be really slow sometimes.

"Damn it! If I'd realized what Van was planning sooner, this never would've happened!" Asch balled his hands, then he glared at his replica, "And you! Why didn't you think before using your hyperresonance?"

"S-So you are saying it's my fault too?"

"Of course it's your fault!" Asch replied, clearly annoyed. "Don't even try to deny it!"

"It's not my fault, it's not my fault, and it's not…" I just knew that would make Asch even angrier.

"Are replica brains all this defective?" He mocked. You've got to be kidding me… You've got to be fucking kidding me. He DIDN'T just say that.

" 'Replica'? Master Van used the word 'replica.' Too… And…Jude…"

"You STILL haven't figured it out?" Asch looked at him with disbelief. "Is this someone's idea of a joke?" Asch's sudden outburst scared the hawk. But fortunately, the creature spotted a new place to rest, Tear's shoulder. She freaked out a little but decided to remain still.

"Wh-what? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you, _Luke_." Oh, uh…

"Asch, stop!" Tear snapped. But he simply ignored her.

"Why do you think you and I have the same face?"

"…H-How should I know?"

"I'm a noble who was in Baticul. Seven years ago, I was kidnapped by a villain called Van."

"You can't mean…"

"That's right! You are second-rate copy of me. A mere replica!" Asch said, a burlesque expression on his face. Every time he said the word 'replica', I felt like being slapped on the face with a damn tuna.

"You are lying…" Luke mumbled. "It's not true, it's not true."

"You want to fight, replica?" He asked, obviously trying to provoke Luke. Thought he wasn't the only one that was getting pissed.

"Shut up…" I mumbled, my voice was too low for anyone to hear.

"Stop lying!" Luke hissed. And took out his sword to make his first move, I think that's what Asch was trying to accomplish. Their swords clashed several times, and Asch… That idiot kept talking shit, saying stuff about replicas. And I knew Tear was looking at me from the corner of her eye. Watching me get angrier by the second.

"Get out of my way repli-"

"ASCH! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I snapped. My outburst made both redheads jolt, forgetting about the battle momentarily. Asch opened his mouth, ready to argue, but I spoke first.

"YOU ARE AN IDIOT!" I yelled, ignoring the pain of my wound and the symptoms of the poison.

"Jude, what the fuck is-"

"WRONG WITH YOU?" I finished his sentence. Without thinking it much, I took off one of my boots and threw it at him; he was able to dodge that one while my second boot hit him on the forehead.

"AH, FUCK! THAT HURT!" He protested.

"KISS MY REPLICATED ASS YOU IDIOTIC REDHEAD!" I hissed and flipped the bird, before sprinting away. Tear tried to reach my arm but I ran faster before she could touch me. I didn't know where to go. I just wanted to be alone; I wanted to get away from my problems and feelings. But from all those things, what I really wanted the most was to get away from Asch_ole_...

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><p>Somehow, I ended up in the selenias' garden. It felt like I had just spawned there when I actually got there on my own, when my bare feet had stepped on the cold floor before touching the moistly turf. The place looked even better through my own eyes; it was flooded with selenias. And strange enough, there was light coming from above; it didn't look different from any greenhouse, however, the selenias glowed with a baby blue tone, which made it look... magical.<p>

I walked further, looking at every detail from the botanic structure. It was like being inside a huge bubble. I lay my back on the turf and closed my eyes, concentrated only in the tips of the leaves and petals that were touching my skin.

It was the first time I wondered how selenias could grow there, no sun or fresh water…. It's really a mystery, which makes me wonder how people get fresh water when they are trapped inside this glasshouse. Giant waterfall… perhaps? Wait, isn't that sea water too?

Gah, I was just trying to think of something else, anything that wasn't about replicas, Tear or Asch. Especially the latter. I know I was supposed to expect that type of comments from him but… I mean, it's not like Luke or I chose to be what we are.

I grumbled and crossed my arms, eyes still closed, just trying to visualize a beautiful landscape and a fake sensation of wind on my face. Mountains, a meadow, a forest or maybe a beach, so many damn options and yet, none of them sounded appealing to my brain. Where does your imagination goes when you need it?

I place my hands over my face and huffed. Why can't I think of anything else? No, why can't I think about _anyone_ else?

"He is a jerk isn't it?" A too familiar voice, said. I took off my hands from my face and opened my eyes, looking at the direction the voice had come from… right beside me. My eyes widened and my body paralyzed, I was able to sense how I lost the color in my face. I'm pretty sure I was pale as paper. The poison was definitely getting stronger.

"What? Don't look me like that!" The blue-haired girl said, sitting Indian style beside me. She was using the same uniform I was using, with the difference than mine was all dirty and ripped in a few spots. I jumped to my feet and took a step back.

"Wha- Wha the-" Was the only thing I managed to say.

"I suppose that reaction was to be expected." She sighed, closing her eyes for a second. "Feels like looking at a mirror?"

"You… you were supposed to be dead!" I mumbled.

"Oh, I am." She said with a grin. "There is really nothing special about it. I was – at least – expecting free candies."

"How can you be joking about that?" I hissed. I'm really getting crazy this time! "You should go and talk to Tear!"

"There is a little problem with that." She scowled. "You are the only one that can see me, if you haven't figure out yet."I glared at her. "I'm just saying." She added with a shrug.

"That's so convenient." I spat. "That, or just I just went crazy for real!"

"I thought you said you didn't have any imagination right now." She replied, raising a brow.

"Well, that's because I – Hey, wait, how do you know that, when I never actually said it out loud."

"Because I'm you… Kind of… Sort of, I don't know." She chuckled.

"It's not funny." I growled.

"Yeah, I suppose it isn't."

"Why are you here anyway?" I asked.

"I come here when I've nothing to do." She said with a smile. "Brings a lot of good memories."

"Nothing to do?" I crossed my arms. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"You wouldn't get it, you are not dead." She said, shaking her hand in a dismissive way.

"Uh…. Okay, I guess." I replied. Then, curiosity forced me to ask. "Can I as you a question?"

"Oh, sure…" She replied, cutting a selenia and sniffing it like if she didn't care about all the problems that her death had caused.

"How did you die?" I mean, how did you fell from that cliff?"

"Isn't that obvious?" She asked, giving me a dirty look.

"It- it is?" I blinked a couple of times, wondering if I had forgotten something important.

"Of course it is. It's not big secret that Van wanted to get rid of me!" She scowled, like feeling disappointed of me.

"WHAT?" I snapped, I wasn't expecting that as an answer. "That's far from being obvious!"

"It is…?"She looked up at me with an oblivious expression. Then, she rolled her eyes in a 'my-bad' way. "Oops…" I shook my head in disbelief.

"Oops?" I hissed. "Are you kidding me? I can't believe YOU are the original!"

She rolled her eyes again, thought this time she looked annoyed. "Well, excuuuuuuuse me, but if I'm stupid then, you too."

"Who said you were stupid?" I scoffed.

She looked at me absentmindedly for a couple of seconds then; she snapped her fingers and pointed at me, giving me a complicity look. "OH, you are good!" She laughed. I just couldn't believe it, I wanted to jump over her and beat the shit out of her, but I knew that wouldn't do, she was already dead.

Before I could reply to her stupid statement, the sound of turf snapping below someone's feet made me look back.

"Here you are…" Asch mumbled. I glanced back to where my original was supposed to be, but to my surprise, she wasn't there anymore. Was I hallucinating? I shook my head and tried to focus on Asch, I don't think he saw me talking to myself. Or at least, he didn't hear.

"What do you want?" I said, turning away from him. "Did you come to tell me how pathetic I am? I already know that, so you can leave now." I found him glaring at me when I decided to look back again.

"Was _that_ the reason you made us go into so much trouble?" He asked, almost accusingly.

"You wouldn't understand because you are an idiot!" I scoffed.

But he ignored my excuse, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Wha-What?" I looked at him with disbelief. "Are you… are you seriously asking me WHY I didn't tell you?" I smacked my forehead in frustration. "So Luke is your replica after all. Yulia, you both are SO stupid!"

"DON'T COMPARE ME TO HIM!"Asch snapped. "Tell me, is that why you were acting so strange? You made me beat you up so it would 'fair'. "

"Shouldn't you be telling me that I'm dreck? Oh, don't tell me, it's because I look like her isn't it?" I was in the verge of tears. "Tear just decided to stop talking to me, you should do the same!"

I didn't get any response from him. Instead, he looked hurt, like if my words had cut through his chest. I had to turn around so he wouldn't see me cry. And since he decided to remain silent, I sobbed, "Ugh, and I hate this uniform!" I grabbed the upper part of one of my arm warmers and ripped it down, then I grabbed the other one and did the same, throwing the ruined fabric aimlessly. After that, I plopped down on the floor and hugged my legs. "I don't want Asch the Bloody near me, ever again..."

"Fine…" He replied. I heard the turf snapping again, I was expecting the sound to fade as he walked away. But instead, the sound grew louder and louder. And I got startled when I turned my head and found him crouching behind me.

When he was certain that he had my full attention, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled his bangs down. Damn, he looked so much like Luke that way.

"Wha-What are yo-"

"If you don't want Asch here… I'm fine with that." He said, thought it sounded like a protest. "The real Luke Fon Fabre is here to comfort you." I started at him blankly… like a total idiot. Though I'm pretty sure no one would blame me for the sudden dysfunction of my brain. Why?

Because Asc – No… The real Luke Fon Fabre extended his arms, waiting for me to hug him or… Well, I think that's what he wanted but despite that, I just kept staring at him. He… wanted a hug from me? A replica?

When the reason of his sudden 'good-friend' action finally sank into my brain, I couldn't hold back. I literally threw myself to his arms, he was probably not expecting me to act so swiftly which may be why he fell on his bottom. But none of us cared about that.

"You really are an idiot…" I mumbled, hugging him tighter. He would have never been able to tell me with words… I understood, that's who Asch is. He couldn't tell me 'I don't care what you are'. If he had, he would've stopped being him. So he did it the other way, the silent way.

"I know…"

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><p>Videos I recommend:<p>

www. youtube .com/watch?v=_1JfSbKjHHI&feature=feedf **(If you like dragons, MMORPGS and GOOD graphics, check this out. Action starts at 01:21 if you are not interested in what the lady says. XD)** "THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE WOOOTER~!" -made me crack. XD

www. youtube .com/watch?v=B8At6C15-ko&feature=channel_video_title **(if you like awesome story tellling, awesome drawing designs and epic speeches.**

Sorry, guys, I just want to play this game so bad. :C


	22. Chapter 22: Heart To Heart

**"PEPPY, LONG TIME NO SEE!"**

**Sup guys, whats popping! Yay, chapter 22! Ok, seriously, I'm sorry if my chapters have been short lately, but the trust is that most of what is happening now has so much dialogue that it covers 10 pages really fast, (this one is 12 pages btw).**

**ANNOUNCEMENTS:**

**1)There is a surprise for you guys at the last part of this chapter~!**

**2)For those who have read Black Waters, I changed Ren's picture cuz it sucked, and there is also another picture that i posted, that you might like (IDK). Just to let you know guys, I'll be posting more of those.**

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><p>Chapter 22: Heart to Heart<p>

"She needs to take those every six hours, do not forget that." The man wearing the so known white lab coat repeated for the tenth time. In response I groaned, trying to find a comfortable position in my bed. Asch nodded for what looked like the hundredth time, looking at the vial full of pills that the doctor had prescribed me.

After almost passing out in the selenias' garden (which totally ruined the sweet moment between Asch and me.), 'the Bloody' had to take me to the doctor right away. Thank Lorelei; the others had already notified about my status, which is why I'm still alive.

"Thank you… Dr. Long…" I tried not to laugh when I spoke, which earned me a brief glare from the man. I mean, come on guys, this type of situations are inevitable when your name is Dick Long.

Asch –who had pulled his hair back into place– flatted a hand over his forehead and shook his head. Honestly, I think he looks… better with his hair down.

Anyway, I knew what he was thinking, that my attitude was childish but I didn't care. Even though it was really funny, I was thankful that Anise wasn't in the room, she would have ripped the man apart with dirty jokes.

The doctor and his nurse –which was giggling behind him– left the room with Asch on their heels; he was probably escorting them to the front door. Seriously, I never expected to end up lying on my original's bed… and even less… in Danny's house.

I don't need to explain why I didn't stay in Tear's house, she was still mad at me, I could understand that but… for some reason, I was pissed at her too. I know what you are thinking, why would I be mad at her when I was the treacherous bitch? Maybe it was my reaction to her rejection, who knows. I deserved it, but that doesn't mean I wanted it.

I scanned the room for the first time; I had been too busy twisting in pain –thanks to the medicine Mr. Dick gave me. Apparently, it had that effect because the medication was burning all the poison that had gone into my veins. I literally felt like all my extremities were in flames.

Anyhow, the room was a bit small, the polished wood desk beside my bed didn't make it any better, nor did the closet at the corner. There was a window at the other side of my bed, though I would have had to get up if I wanted to see through it. From my position, I could see no more than the dull, glassy ceiling of the city.

I rubbed my nose with annoyance; the whole place was covered with a thin layer of dust. I was secretly praising whoever was intelligent enough to –at least– cover every piece of furniture inside the house with plastic, which was the only reason I found the bed as good and clean as it was.

I rolled to the edge of the bed and pulled me up from it as careful as possible; the medicine was still boiling inside my veins.

The dusty surface of the wooden floor felt disgusting under my feet. However, I quickly forgot about that when my eyes met the neatly folded uniform over the desk –my uniform or at least, what was left from it– which reminded me I was only wearing my undergarments under the bed's blanket. Obviously, because there was no other way to clean my wound without taking off my clothes.

I wrapped the blanket around my torso and tiptoed out of the room. I peeked down the stairs to see if Asch was coming, I wanted to check the house before he could come back. Why? Because he would probably force me to stay in bed until my condition had improved, and no… That meant I would have to wait too much.

Once I made sure the coast was clear, I sprinted to Danny's room, I still remembered how my original found the old lady 'sleeping' on her rocking chair. I opened the door cautiously; it was evident that nothing had changed since that tragic day. The same dusty layer covered every inch of the room, the carpet had lost its lustrous appearance over the years, the silver edges of the mirror resting over the boudoir were decolorizing, and the –once white– dropped ceiling was stained with bruise-like patches that could only be done by humidity.

I walked in, and looked around the place. Moss and spider webs could be found in the corners and over the plastic bags protecting Danny's furniture and antics. The rocking chair was still there, in the same, exact place where it had been when Dan-

"Here you are." I instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around my body as soon as Asch's huff reached my ears. I turned around and glared at him. "Honestly, can't you stay still for half a second? How is your wound going to heal when you are not resting?"

"The mayor gave you the key of_ her_ house," I began, looking at the rocking chair. "Being curious about this place is totally normal."

"You can be curious later." He protested, resting his back on the wall, that only meant he knew his statement wasn't going to convince me. A comfortable silence fell between us, the fact that I was only wearing my undergarments below the blanket didn't bother us, he might have been blushing a little, but the current situation was nothing compared to that time at the Tartarus –when I was completely naked.

I opened my mouth, ready to end with the silence, but Asch spoke first.

"Jude told me how she found her… dead." He mumbled. "It was a long time ago…"

"When she went to the manor?" I asked, brushing my fingertips over the dirty boudoir.

"Yeah." He closed his eyes, like trying to picture that moment inside his head. "She… brought the medallion with her."

"Why are you telling me now?" I might have sounded angrier than I wanted. I had asked myself that question a few times, why did he never told me she have him the medallion (even when I thought I was the real Jude)?

"Because apparently, there is more than one medallion and because they are not common accessories." He replied, eyes still closed. "Van said something about 'Oblivion' doing something to you. I didn't know there was another medallion…and… well, I didn't even know he had one of them."

"He can control Jude's memories with it. I've suffered so many symptoms because of it that… I won't be able to tell if they are related to it in the future. I killed Pierce because of…all of this, he was just trying to help."

He opened his eyes and glanced at the floor. "Tear told me, right after I won the battle against that dreck." I raised a brow and turned around.

"You won?"

"Of course, what were you expecting?" He spat. "I'm the o-" Asch bit his tongue before he could finish the sentence.

"The… original?" I asked, undisturbed. He never answered, so I continued. "I'm pretty sure my original's death has to do with the medallions… she gave you Mystic, the medallion you showed me. Maybe it can help us decipher why clan Abydos is after me…"

"Abydos…?" He asked, yeah he was totally clueless. I mentally facepalmed at the fact that there was a lot of stuff that I knew and that Asch didn't. Keeping secrets from him was now slapping me in the face with consequences.

"I'll explain that later." I groaned. "Take out Mystic, I want to see something."

Asch pushed himself off the wall and rubbed his neck. "I might…have lost it right after Akzeriuth was destroyed."

"WHAT?" I pinned him to the wall in less than half a second. "HOW, WHERE, WHEN AND WHY?" He only looked away, face completely red as I shook him desperately trying to get an answer. He finally mumbled something but I didn't catch what he said. "Can you repeat that?"

His face turned brighter as he rolled his eyes back to me but then, looked away again. "The… blanket…" I looked down at myself when I realized the blanket was lying on the floor and that… we were practically sharing body heat while I was barely wearing any clothes.

"OHGODOHGODOHGODOHGOD!" I yelped, trying to wrap the blanket around my body once again, my shaky hands weren't making it any easier. Asch banged the back of his head on the wall two or three times, even when I managed to finally wrap the blanket properly. "Why are you… Are you ok? I-I'm really sorry."

As strange as it sounds, he lips curved into a smile. "I'm…fine, its ok." He said, though it sounded like his tongue had gone numb or something. And I don't want to talk about the way he was looking at me it's just… NO. It wasn't the usual intimidating look; it was like…his… creeper face. I don't know but it forced me to look away, face blushing madly.

I stumbled upon my words a few times, trying to find away to just make him stop staring at me. But I was unable to form a coherent sentence. Fortunately, there was no need for me to struggle anymore when from the hall, the hawk that had posed over Asch's head, made its entrance. And of course, the animal repeated the same action and landed on his head.

"Stupid bird!" Asch's temper changed within seconds. "I've already told you not to do that!" He complained, trying to get rid of the bird, but the creature was too comfortable to do that.

I stared at them absentmindedly, wondering if the creature had come in from one of the windows. "Asch, why is that hawk following you around and using you as a nest?"

He glared at me for a brief second before taking a rolled scroll –which had the crest of the Order of Lorelei, printed on it– from one of the pockets of his trousers. "Someone is looking after us."

I raise a brow before snatching the scroll from his hand. "Us in like… you and me?" He nodded, and I unrolled the document.

_My beloved Asch the Bloody,_

_You can thank me later for what misadventures my pet, Kogamaru, has saved you this time. It would had been a shame to have lost such a cutie and that, I can't ignore. From what little information I've gather the past few weeks, I can tell neither you nor Jude are safe now, not even from the Commandant. For obvious reasons, I'm being forced to keep an eye on you two, which is why I've order Kogamaru to follow you around. You shall not worry; he will prove to be quite useful, as you might have already notice, he can grown larger when the order is given, so you can use him as transportation. I can't watch you myself, but I'm certain you guys will have to go to Daath sooner or later, until then, I shall be waiting._

_With love, Commander Emerald Ark Dinoa._

"Emerald Ark….? Who is she…?" I glanced back at him. "And how does she know me?" Wow, and that hawk can grow larger? Are you kidding me?

"A high ranked official of the Order of Lorelei." He answered. "She might think you are the real Jude. Don't worry, we can trust her."

"Sure, because she thinks you are a 'cutie'." I barked. He 'pffffed' in response.

"She has been against Van's ideology for quite some time." He clarified. "They were dating one or two years ago. That's why I know we can trust her."

"She dated Van?" I asked in disbelief. "That's… so unexpected."

Asch didn't comment about it, instead, he gave me a deductive look. "Does 'Sure, because she thinks you are a cutie' means you are jealous?" I must add that he tried to do a girly voice when he quoted that.

"Pffff, what?" I shook my head. "Why would I be jealous?" Far from convincing him, my answer spread an arrogant smile across his face, which made the redness of my face even more evident. "That's ridiculous!" I snapped, stomping out of the room.

"If you say so~." I heard him mock. I turned around and pulled his arm, dragging him and the hawk to Jude's room.

"Shut up! Now, listen carefully, I'll tell you what Abydos is about!" I grunted, avoiding his provocative… mesmerizing… fascinating... gaze…

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Asch left to check on Luke. Apparently, he fainted after fighting his original, I was secretly wondering if Asch was worried about him.<p>

My curiosity would have driven me to go with him but 'the Bloody' forced me to stay in bed, besides, I still needed to buy new clothes since Jude's uniform was torn to pieces. And well… technically, I lost my boots.

I had just finished explaining him what Clan Abydos was about, that might have worried him a little. You know, judging by the stoic expression plastered on his face when he left. It made me feel a little awkward; although I knew telling him was the best option. I mean, I was surprised that he still trusted me after all the things that happened.

Now, I was aware that keeping the truth from the others and lying was the worst thing I could have ever done. There was no way to revive the people of Akzeriuth, or Pierce… But I had learn that now is when I had to prove myself, and prove the others that I wasn't going to run away from my problems anymore… That I was someone else.

I had to confront Abydos; I had to know why I was their 'puppet', how they were connected to the medallions and if there was a way to set me free from Oblivion's curse. Just thinking about it was a pain in the ass; I knew there was a long journey ahead of us.

I tried to close my eyes, to get some sleep but the intriguing thoughts swirling around my head would keep me alert. I would have check the house now that Asch was gone, but I found myself too tired to get out of the bed this time.

I groaned, according to Mr. Long, the pills he prescribed me would take out the poison little by little. In other words, I would have to take the pills daily and for a few months! I swear I'll kick the man's ass if I end up sniffing psychedelic powder and acting like a damn hippy after this!

Just when I thought I was finally going to get some sleep, someone knocked on my door. Well, there goes my quality time with the pillow~. Down the toilet! At least I had my pajamas on this time, those garments I got at the Tartarus when Ion was kidnapped, remember?

The door creaked open and Oliver, along with Guy and Anise, walked in. The latter, had a huge smile on her face.

"Judyyyyyy~!" The small Fon Master Guardian beamed. "How are you feeling?"

"I… I'm fine." I was a little surprised, I mean, they were finally talking to me! "And what's with calling me 'Judy'?"

"Well, having considered the fact that you aren't the real Jude. Wouldn't you like another name? EHHHH? What do you think~?" She was acting happier than ever. "There are so many options!"

"Whoa, Anise, take it easy." Guy said, placing the basket of cookies he was caring, over the desk. "She's still recovering from the infection."

"Thanks, Guy!" I squeaked, looking at the cookies, while Anise complained about liking the names Mia and Ruth.

"You're welcome!" He smiled. "Jade and Ion were going to come but it seems they are having a serious discussion with the elders."

"Oh…"

"Hey, don't get all depressed now!" Oliver protested, "None of us blames you for what happened."

"Yeah…" Anise flattened a hand on her face. "Van was more than prepared for what was going to happen. Apparently, Abydos had already been ordered to kill everyone if they were to escape."

"But then… What about Luke?" I asked. As surprising as it sounded, I didn't held any grudges against him, even when he backstabbed me when I was trying to help him. He was probably too scared to handle rejection.

Guy crossed his arms and huffed. "Luke was not under pressure like you." He began. "And the fact that he tried to blame you and Van for everything didn't make anyone happy. He is my friend but… Luke will have to learn to think before acting if he still wants my friendship."

"I see…"

"To be completely honest with you," Anise sat on the bed. "I doubt Luke will ever understand what he has done. I think that's why the Colonel announced us we would leave him here."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Luke was going to stay here? Why?

"Apparently, Tear has decided to look over Luke, they will both stay here. Like me." Oliver said.

"That's right." Guy nodded. "Also, it seems Asch will come with us instead." He didn't look pleased with that decision.

"WHA?" I leaned to close to Guy, which made him jump back. "Asch didn't tell me anything about that!"

"I don't blame him." Anise smiled evilly. "I mean, I bet he doesn't feel comfortable having you and Natalia in the same party~."

"What's that suppose to mean?" I growled. "And what does Natalia have to do with all of this?"

"Ion told us about how he is always looking after you!" Ah, damn it Ion! "Sheesh! Have you forgotten he was supposed to marry Natalia?" Anise asked a little amused. "Oh, it's true; you weren't there when she said _that_." Guy sighed and shook his head, it seemed like I had missed something important.

"_That_? Can you explain what you are talking about, already?" I crossed my arms, a little impatient, while Oliver devoured another cookie, paying close attention to the conversation.

"Natalia told us about how Luke – the real Luke, proposed to her when they were ten!" She proclaimed. "He promised her they would 'change the world together'!"

"He did what?" My brain couldn't comprehend the meaning of her words, even when they had been absorbed by my brain in that same exact order.

"When he was ten?" Oliver snapped between bites. "Geez, that's creepy."

"Anise, couldn't you wait a little bit longer to tell her?" Guy scolded, giving the small girl a look of disappointment.

"AH, I'm sorry, Guy!" Anise cried overdramatically, and at the same time, she tried to hug him. Of course, he panicked. Yulia, messing with Anise would put anyone in danger.

Still and all, I smile fondly at them, looking as they ran around the room, the small Fon Master Guardian was chasing the servant all over the place.

The sight made me feel a little bit of relief; their visit meant they had understood what had happen. However, Pierce's death was still an issue that needed to be discussed. In the inside, I wanted to jump out of the bed and hug the three of them, but I kept smiling. Guy would have fainted anyway.

"So, how are you feeling?" Olive said looking back at me, while Guy begged for mercy.

"Way better than before!" I chirped. "What about you?"

"I… I don't want to stay here." He protested, giving me a sideway look.

"Hey, you won't be alone. Tear and Luke will be here!" Personally, that wouldn't make feel better if I was him. Of course, I have my own reasons.

"Eh?" He crossed his arms. "But you don't even like them."

"Tha-That's not true!" I wasn't sure if I was lying or not. Oliver took another cookie and raised a brow, he was just eleven but that didn't meant he was falling for that.

The next few hours went by unchanged. We spent all that time gossiping and talking about daily life stuff. In other words, anything that had nothing to do with Van, replicas, the Order of Lorelei, hyperresonance and Abydos.

I think that was the point of their visit, we were all trying to forget about the tragedies that revolved around our arrival to Yulia City. A good way to clear the mind, even when tomorrow things could change.

Anise noticed my ruined uniform on the desk and picked it up, eyeing it carefully. "Wow, it looks like you'll need new clothes, these are totally useless now!"

"Yeah, I guess so…" I sighed; I had been hoping to get new clothes ever since Van told me I was a replica. But I was expecting to find garments that I liked before getting rid of the uniform. "I doubt I'll be able to go out and buy something in these conditions."

The young girl's eyes widened and a huge smile appeared across her face. "I HAVE AN IDEA!"

"Oh, no…" Guy groaned smashing the palm of his hand on his forehead. Yeah, I had a bad feeling about it too.

"Guy and I will go to the market for you!" She stated. "Markets here in Yulia City are really interesting and I was hoping to give them a look. Isn't it perfect, everyone wins!"

"WHA- What do I win with that?" Guy growled.

"Yeah, and I wasn't even mentioned." Oliver scowled.

"Your reward would be staying alive!" Anise threaten, a thick aura of darkness forming around her. And that was more than enough to make both guys nod and shiver.

Just when that was going on, Natalia appeared at the other side of the door, the sound of her footsteps gave her away. Everyone turned around and looked at her, all the giggling and happy atmosphere in the room vanished in a few seconds. Instead, it was replaced by the silence of curiosity and uncertainty.

Natalia, in the other hand, looked ashamed… shy, perhaps. I didn't know her enough to be able to tell. She cleared her throat and stood straight. "Hi…"

"Hey…" I answered. Guy, Anise and Oliver were too concentrated on her movements to say anything. They wouldn't move an inch; it was like they had turned into stone, they didn't look like they were breathing either. I suppose no one had expected her to come here.

I blinked a few times, it looked like she wanted to say something, but the awkward looks she was receiving from everyone else were definitely uncomfortable to her.

"Is something wrong?" I finally asked. My voice made her snap from whatever thoughts had crossed her mind in that instance.

"I… I want to talk to you… Jude." As soon as she said my name, the others looked at me, waiting for my answer. "Alone…" She added in a higher tone so the other could get the message.

Anise and the others gave me a sideway look. Then, she said she would take Oliver and Guy to the market and that they would be back later. Both guys sighed but didn't protest this time. Finally, Guy closed the door behind them after winking at me.

That was his way to say everything was going to be ok. But… did he meant to do it to assure me my new clothes would be decent or did it had to do with confronting Natalia? Oh, balls!

"So… what do you wanted to talk about?" I asked. The only response I got from her was a sigh; she walked around the room, like trying to organize her thoughts.

"It's just… When I was ten… Luke – No Asch-"

"If it's about the marriage proposal, I already know about it." I replied.

She looked at me, eyes widened. Before I could expect it, she sat beside me. "Asch! Was he… was he the one that told you about it?" There was hope leaking out from her voice.

"No… It was Anise…" The brightness in her eyes disappeared and was quickly replaced with disappointment.

"Oh…" Her gaze fell. Damn, why am I feeling bad now?

She stood up, and turned away. "I wish he could accept again. He has been avoiding me ever since…"

"Ever since you found out Luke was a replica. Right…?" I might have sounded bitter… Just a little.

She turned to me again, hands clasped together. "All this time… I thought I was doing something wrong. That _my_ Luke had forgotten about the promise because it was some sort of divine punishment. All this time, I have been working really hard to make him remember…" Her arms fell to her sides. "And now… They tell me I've put some much effort into _nothing_."

"But Luke… He is still your friend isn't it? He needs you, are you going to abandon him just like that?" I asked. Natalia constantly reminds me why I don't like her, especially when she opens her big mouth.

"You wouldn't understand!" She roared.

"You say I don't understand?" I scoffed. "YOU are the one that doesn't understand. You don't understand what Luke or I'm feeling." Her face contorted with indignation. "Look, I know you feel like you wasted time trying to bring back memories that Luke never had. But what about those seven years you guys spent together?"

"You can't judge me." She huffed. "You are the one that killed Pierce because of your own selfishness!"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" My sudden outburst made her realize that the conversation wasn't going according to her plans.

"Wait, Jude – I didn't meant to -"

"I SAID, GET OUT!" I threw one of my pillows at her, but she dodged it. I don't think it's necessary to explain what I was feeling at that point.

"No, wait, listen to me!" I ignored her and jumped out of the bed. I grabbed her forearm and drag her out of the room –in an indelicate way, I must add. Of course she struggled, but all the rage that had built up inside me had earned me enough strength to pull a damn cow by myself.

I slammed the door on her face, it felt good. But I had to lean my back on the door to keep my balance; my heart was slamming against my chest. It hurt, the truth hurt. I didn't want to do it… I really didn't want to.

If Pierce could be here, I would hug him so fucking hard. I would kneel and beg for forgiveness, god damn it!

"I'm sorry, please stop crying!" I heard Natalia's voice from the other side of the door. Was I sobbing? Huh, I didn't even notice. "T-That's not why I came here!" She had started sobbing too. "I just want Luke back. _My _Luke!"

"Then… Why are you here?" I cried.

"Asch… He trusts you. Even though you are not _her_, she trusts you. You are his friend!" I heard a thumb at the other side of the door. "You… you can talk with him." She sobbed.

"Wha-what?"

"Please… You are the only one that can help me…"

* * *

><p>At the outskirts of Daath…<p>

The wind blew softly against his hair; the trees towered over him and his companions. It was a beautiful night, he thought. The dark sky was free from clouds and the stars were twinkling constantly, like the constantly oscillation of the sea. That would always bring bad memories though…

The heat of the bonfire was embracing them and the young man carried a tune with his voice, lyrics that would captivate the attention of any lady. To be expected, the leader of the circus troupe was listening attentively while her minions laughed and whispered jokes behind the young poet.

"…I was alive when you were right here by my side, and now, the word is on your lips~." He exclaimed dramatically. "Say good-bye to those who knew me, but don't go out tonight~!" He paused, jumping out of his seat and taking one of Noir's hands. "Because tonight, you'll be my last~."

Noir's eyes were sparkling with the light of the moon. She gasped when the gentleman reached for her hand, and finished his performance by kissing it. As soon as he stepped away, the leader of the circus troupe was clapping franticly.

"Oh, Pierce, that was amazing!" She beamed. "You certainly have talent!"

Pierce plopped on the floor again, groaning a little when the –still not fully healed– wound on his chest sent sharp pain all over his torso. "I can assure you, you still haven't seen anything!" He claimed, giving her a provocative smile.

"OH, Pierce! You are one little naughty boy, aren't you?" Noir leaned her head on his arm, caressing one of the young man's legs.

"Geez, what a hoe." York rolled his eyes. "She has been acting like that ever since we found Pierce begging at Sheridan!" Yeah, that was a memory Pierce was certainly not fond of.

"Yeah, but I'm not surprised." Urushi added.

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS!" Noir snap, clearly annoyed by their interference. "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, YOU RATS!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" In less than a few seconds, her minions disappeared through the bushes and into the darkness. Leaving the not so young woman and Pierce, completely alone.

"So…" Noir tilted her head and brushed her fingers against Pierce's chin. "Where were we?" Pierce answered with another provocative smile. And Noir saw this as her first opportunity to get away with her real intentions.

Their lips were just inches away from each other, when Pierce spoke again. "I thought I told you… that poem was for someone else." Noir frowned as soon as those words came out of his mouth.

"You won't see her for a while…" She rolled her eyes, rubbing one of his shoulders.

"True, but she is quite special to me." He replied, taking out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. It was clear that he wasn't looking for _another_ adventure tonight. "I haven't seen her in a while. I can't wait to see the expression on her face." He added, rather sarcastically.

"Are you THAT eager to see her?" Noir protested.

"You've no idea." He laughed, holding his axe firmly with the other hand, a deadly look on his face. "I bet she is dying to see me…"

* * *

><p><strong>Yay sexy(evil) Pierce and the Dark Wings<strong>.** XD**


	23. Chapter 23: Identity

**Hey there guys, update? Yes, update.**

**There are a few things I would like to say before getting with this damn chapter. First, when I started this one (last Monday) I was like, "Ok, let's try doing a classic BIG-ASS chapter." But apparently, I failed failllllllleeeed miserably, which is why I feel the necessity of ranting about things people don't care about.**

**Lately, my brain has been trolling me with stuff, and I haven't had the time to think about SOO that much. Apparently, I'm switching to Graphic Design and Animation; thank god I realized it before I could regret it.**

***SOO NEWS:**** I will keep updating but not as usual as I used to, but hey, at least Jude finally got her new outfit, which I will post in DA, hopefully soon. I might do a re-make picture of Jacko and a picture of Oliver as well. About the plot, I'm having trouble organizing what goes next, but I can assure you, it's getting better.**

**As always, this new chapter is composed of the next elements:**

**70% of Jude's rants**

**25% of Crap**

**5% of Plot **

**Hooray for statistics! And the plot bunnies, who have eaten Pierce's and Asch's face like a thousand times! **

***BW NEWS:**** Chapter 3 of Black Waters is taking me a while too, but I'm having a better result. I want to thank the 18 awesome readers that took the time to check it out, I'm sure there were 3 more people who read it in FictionPress as well (btw, I took BW down from that site).**

**Also, I'm sorry I haven't post a picture of Ivan, he is being a dick and don't want me to draw him while the other characters are trying to push him into a ditch so I can draw them instead. Might post something soon, (notice how I used the word MIGHT here. Hehehhe…hehe… fml.)**

**One last thing, if you are interest in BW and updates about that story, send me a pm that says "me." I will write your username down and send you messages about BW updates since I can't update both stories at the same time. (the good thing about a small audience!)  
><strong>

**Ok, now, let the chapter roll!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 23: Identity<p>

My eyes ran through the page in a hastily manner before turning to the next one. I doubt my original had enough coefficient to be a reader type of person, but to tell you the truth, I don't like books that much either.

I traced another paragraph with bored eyes, like waiting for the letters to just talk by themselves, which obviously was not going to happen, not even in a thousand years. I was hoping the book would at least have some pictures, but no, most of Danny's book collections were typewritten pages over pages of boredom. Not to mention that seventy-five percent of them were thick and of the size of the palm of my freakin' hand!

Call me idiot, ignorant, or whatever, but I'm never reading a bitch that size! Oh, but I'm not done here yet! Ten percent of these books were HANDWRITTEN, which is a shame, really because those were the thinnest ones I found and their handwriting is not even legible.

Honestly, Mr. Daniel Ekoff, what the hell were you doing when you wrote that book, were you drunk or did you wrote it with your feet? I mean, not even my handwriting is that ugly when I write with my right hand (Damn, and I'm left-handed!).

After an hour of pure rant and frustration, I closed the damn book and heaved a sigh. I looked around my original's room again, there had to be something else to do while I was 'resting'.

Seriously, Asch was really strict with my recovery and all that bullshit, which doesn't make any sense when a damn redhead threatens to break both of your legs if he doesn't find you in bed when he comes back. Oh, yeah, Asch is a sweetheart when he wants to be.

And I might be wrong, but I think… I think I've seen him talking to himself lately. You may say 'but Jude, everyone talks to themselves sometimes, mostly you', but trust me, its way different than the normal 'talk-to-yourself' moments I occasionally have. Trust me; I could have sworn I saw him call dreck to himself in the mirror, and many other insults. It all started ever since he came back from checking on Luke.

I wonder if it's some kind of stupidity disease. Ooooh, he better stay away from me if he is ill. What if it's contagious? NO, what if I'M already infected? While I panicked inside my own head, I heard the faint sound of footsteps, which got louder and louder until the door of my room opened.

"I'm back." Asch said, walking into the room with Kogamaru circling over his head. I bit my lip and snorted, remembering how he had come in this morning with his hair all messed up because the creature had tried to make a real nest last night. I really enjoyed it when he was taking out the sticks from his hair. "Don't you dare start laughing again." He threatened.

"I'm sorry." I tittered. "It's not something I get to see every day~." He gave me a dirty look while Kogamaru found rest on one of my shoulders.

"Pfff. Whatever." He barked, crossing his arms while I petted Kogamaru on the head. I don't know what I did but apparently, he likes me. We stayed like that for a while, it was one of those moments when there is really nothing to say. A little spotlight for our new buddy, I was wondering what kind of person Commandant Dinoia was. I mean, not everyone has a creature as rare as Kogamaru, a creature that can grow larger and annoy Asch at the same time? Lorelei, you get to see a lot of weird things here in Auldrant.

"Jude…" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Asch. I found him looking me back, and with a deathly serious expression on his face. This can't be good…

"Yes?"

"Fon Master Ion said there will be a reunion with the elders. He told me you should come too…" He was slow with his words, like trying to make me understand every single one of them. I lowered my hand; I wasn't petting the flying creature anymore.

I frowned and stared at empty air for a few seconds before speaking. "How bad is it?"

"I – How can you know it's bad, you aren't there yet." He asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" I scorned. "The elders want to rip me apart and ..."

"And…?"

"Well…" I began, looking at the book I had been reading, which was now resting on my lap. "What am I suppose to say? There is no excuse for what I did. I'm TERRIFIED; I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYBO-"

"HEY, JUDE! Calm down!" Asch cut me off, placing both hands on my shoulders. "Look, the fact that you were somehow involved doesn't mean you're the only one at fault." He began. "I'm pretty sure the elders are intelligent enough to know that, blaming you won't bring the people of Akzeriuth back."

"But what if-" I was about to protest, but Asch cut me off again, this time, in a violent way.

"SHUT UP, YOU DRECK! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" his outburst scared the hell out of Kogamaru and me. The creature decided to fly away and look for another place to rest, while I stared at him with pure shock.

"W-What did you call me?" I stammered. He looked confused but somehow, realization quickly overtook him. He looked terrified.

"No, wait! I wasn't talking to-" It was my turn to interrupt this time. There had been so much happening lately that my emotions –especially the bad, bitching emotions– were easily building up.

"To whom Asch? To whom?" I growled. Instead of getting an answer, he cursed under his breath. Whatever he said, it was too low for me to hear.

You know, I'm going to be completely honest with you guys. I was still pissed with Natalia, I really don't mind if she hates me or not but I just can't believe she asked me for help when she obviously doesn't even trust me.

Is it pride? Perhaps, but even though she is acting like the only thing it matters is her stupid promise with Aschole, I still pity her. I still pity her when Oliver just lost his father, friends, neighbors, teachers and everyone else, which makes me wonder in which fucking order Natalia has listed her damn priorities as the princess of Kimlasca.

I could have lied to you guys, I could have said I was pissed for more than one reason, especially with the massacre Abydos made, but the truth is that Natalia was just giving me more reasons to detest her and vice versa.

Don't you hate that? That no matter how good you are, how gentle or friendly you try to be you just can't make everyone happy? It's like when you look for a present for someone; and you tried really hard to get something you think that person would like. Then, when you look them to the eye and see the fake smile they are given you… Doesn't that make you think 'Man, I should have given him/her the money so she could have bought what he/she liked.'

Asch didn't repeat what he said when I asked him to, he preferred silence, which made me realize that whatever he said, it was not important. Why? Because when I looked at him, I thought of Natalia and what she said to me. I was mad with her and I couldn't really get mad at Asch because he was –at least– trying to see me as a person, not a replica.

Even if he called me dreck, or whoever he was talking to, did it really matter now? Would it ever matter when everyone here was trash? When no one was able to do anything to save all that people? I can't make Natalia happy because she can't make me happy, it's something reciprocal, but Asch is my friend…and he makes me happy when he isn't acting like a dick. So, what can I do for him…?

I heard soft footsteps coming from the hall. Strands of blonde hair peeked into the room until Oliver's green eyes came into view. Well, at least the awkwardness is about to be interrupted.

"Hey Jude, how are you feeling today?" He came in with a few paper bags on his hands, it's important to say that those bags were almost as big as him, which made him look like a pile of bags with legs from my perspective.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking but… uh… what are those bags?" I asked, as he walked to the bed and dropped them all over Asch's side, covering him completely with them.

"It's what Anise, Guy and I bought for you… though I blame Anise for all the useless stuff they bought. She said you would pay her for what she spent anyway." He said, brushing his palms together in a manner of removing whatever dust had accumulated on those bags.

"WHAT?" I inched forward. "She NEVER said anything about THAT!" I growled.

"Well, I don't know, she said she was making you a favor buying all this stuff." He shrugged, "I'm not even sure what some of that stuff is, to be honest."

"Pfffff!" One of my eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "Where is she anyway? Why didn't she come?"

"She said, she would go to some reunion with the elders, that she would meet you there. Oh, she also said some of these bags had new clothes for you, that taking Guy with her to have another opinion was a great idea." Asch finally reappeared from beneath the bags, glaring at Oliver.

"And who's the midget?" He asked, clearly annoyed because certain 'midget' decided to drop all those bags over him.

"The name is Oliver, you moron!" The blonde snapped, which obviously leaded to a bunch of crap I don't feel like writing. I don't know why, but I always had the feeling Asch and Oliver would never get along since that day. Not like ever cared about that. So, as unimpressed as I was, I ignored the hair pulling, bites and punches and took all those bags to Danny's room. I assumed Oliver and Asch were too busy cat-fighting to give a fuck about giving me some space to try on what Anise had bought for me.

You know, until this day, I still don't know if Anise's and Guy's intention was to dress me like a whore because a damn sleeveless armor –which I assumed was some type of corset– isn't something any girl would consider using when your companions solve their insecurity problems with random battles.

Well, at least she had the decency to buy stockings I could use underneath my new pair of shorts and boots (which had greaves attached). Next, I found a pair of arm warmers, couters and gauntlets. In general, it looked like an armor-ish kind of outfit that was a collage of brown and olive green. I suppose the colors were for camouflaging purposes.

I took a look in the mirror, thinking that my almost exposed cleavage would at least serve as a distraction against my enemies. I felt like they had pasted a sticker on my forehead, one that said 'This is how a whore looks like'. Sheesh, do people in Yulia City actually buy this?

Moving on, I'm happy Oliver was naïve enough to not know that half of the stuff I found in those bags was… toys… not the normal kind of toys though... Yes, apparently, Anise thinks they will help me be less of a virgin. I don't know what to think of her anymore, although something tells me she wouldn't joke like this if she didn't consider me a friend. I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried about that. Either way, whether Guy helped her or not, they are both dead.

I took one final glance at the mirror and noticed my forelocks hand grown enough to almost cover my eyes. No wonder why I felt something was tickling my eye lids; I took those locks and pulled them all to one side. I stared a few more seconds until I noticed there was a brown hair band hanging from one of the edges of the mirror.

I took it and blew away the thin layer of dust over it, knowing that Danny wasn't going to need it anymore. I placed it over my head. It looked well, but I was still not satisfied, I wanted to look as a totally different person without having to cut my hair. I scanned the room once more until I found a bunch of hair ties; I took one and managed to put my hair into a pony tail.

I supposed that was the best I could do now, I wasn't in the moody for a makeover, anyways. Actually, now that I mention that, it's best if Anise doesn't know, I'm afraid see would try too hard again. I took a deep breath before getting out of the room, some part of me was wishing Asch and Oliver were still fighting; at least I would avoid a really awkward and embarrassing moment. But you guys already know that's not the way life works, don't you? Especially in this type of situations.

I tiptoed out of the room to find Oliver and Asch staring at me –mouths hanging open and with big wide eyes– just a few steps away. Well, that was faster than I had expected! Someone up there must really hate me. Jude, quick, put a poker face!

"What?" I barked, eyeing them suspiciously. By their lack of reaction, I could tell I wasn't going to make progress any soon. Ok, Jude, to the point! "Could you guys quit staring at me?"

That finally made them react, I don't think they even heard me the first time. Boys will be boys forever!

"What's that?" Asch asked, looking at me from head to toes.

"What do you mean what's that? Isn't it obvious?" Honestly, from all the things he could have asked.

"I think it's her new outfit." Oliver replied. I actually facepalmed at that, I didn't even care if they noticed their lack of intelligence was killing me.

"Oliver, weren't you there when they picked THIS?" I emphasized the word 'this' while pointing at myself. Was I complaining about what they had picked for me? Yes, yes I was.

"I kind of… fell asleep while they were looking at the shop." He laughed weakly. That earned him a smack on the head. "OWWW! THAT HURT!"

"If you haven't notice, that's the point!" I spat.

"You are showing too much… skin, you are not going anywhere like that!" Asch growled.

"Thanks but no thanks, DAD!" He rolled his eyes. "The only other clothes I have are my pajamas and I'll have to stick with THIS, if something happens to my pajamas during battle!"

After a long, boring discussion about my clothes, I went to pick up my things –which were in the living room, apparently. My rapier was there, though I didn't know if taking it now was a good idea. I mean, I did use it all that time but I guess I was in an 'I'm-stupid-and-I'm-incapable-to-make-decisions-because-bleh' kind of state at that time.

Asch reminded me we didn't have time for bullshit, and told me to pick it up my things and roll with it. That motherfucker always has something kind to say. Just between you and me, I think I've develop some type of obsession with his hair. I've found myself many times thinking about how good he looks when his hair is down. Too bad he would bitch about it if I try to force him to change his look.

Yeah, I have to face it, there is absolutely no way to convince him, I guess it's because Luke uses the same style. Really…a shame.

Once we had all the stuff we needed, (I decided to leave the 'toys' at Danny's house, where no one ever finds them) we headed for the conference room, which made me paranoid.I tried to distract myself with stuff we saw along the way, merchandize, people, streetlamps, trash cans, anything! Ignoring the many times Oliver complained about how slow I was walking, while Asch had his own problems with Kogamaru. Kids and… animals these days... I swear!

But moving on to the important stuff and all that crap, we bumped with Tear at the entrance of the conference room. And even though she saw us heading her way, she went in before we could reach her –I feel the necessity to point out that she DIDN'T look happy at all. Oh, Yulia, this isn't looking good for me.

Asch and I walked in, leaving Oliver outside. Of course, the kid complained about it, so we decided to leave Kogamaru with him so he could stop whining. Anise, Guy, Jade, Ion, Natalia and the elders were already there when we came in.

Everyone took a sit, and believe it or not, the reunion went smoothly. Well, that was at the beginning, and it's because I avoided Tear's glare at all cost. The fact that there were only three elders was what surprised me the most, among them was Mayor Teodoro. Wait? Does this means the other elders… Oh… Balls. I don't even think those other two elders where part of the committee when my original was little.

Mayor Teodoro talked about how his men had been cleaning the Tartarus the past few days. Yeah, remember all those bodies? Creepy. Wait, how many days have we been here? Two or three? Well, whatever the answer is, I'm pretty sure the Tartarus is now haunted. Good thing Tear isn't coming.

Gosh, then Jade and the others started commenting about an efficient way to get back to Auldrant's surface. To be honest, I didn't pay attention to what they were saying; I was too busy mouthing insults at Anise and Guy. I just knew Natalia, Jade and Ion would come up with embarrassing questions about my outfit once the reunion was over.

I started putting attention again once they mentioned we were leaving tomorrow. Hopefully, we would successfully get to the Outerlands without killing ourselves in the process and then, we would try getting some information about what Van was planning to do next.

"Now that we've settled that, what about Abydos?" Asch asked, that reminded me that Mayor Teodoro could tell us about what he knew from them. I should really pay more attention from now on.

"I've already talked about that with the Fon Master and Colonel Curtis…" The Mayor said, looking at Jae before giving me a sideway look. "I've told them I can't reveal anything about that matter."

Asch scoffed. "And why is that?"

"Young man…" The Mayor began, resting his chin on the back of his tangled hands. "Enough souls have paid the price of heroism. Now that you are no longer in possession of one of the medallions, I suggest staying out of their way."

"But aren't they after Jude?" Anise asked, though it sounded like a protest. I saw how Tear twitched from the corner of my eye, she wasn't happy I kept _her _name.

"One sacrifice is better than a thousand of them…" He replied. Asch rose from his chair.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN?" He growled, I lowered my head while Jade fixed his glasses with an expression of annoyance. Mayor Teodoro rose from his seat as well, though he kept his composure.

"I've just been told I lost one of my daughters… And Yulia has punished me for not acting as a father in the first place." Tear stared at him quite shocked. "However, you've bring this young lady, who looks like her. But my old, tired eyes can't see the same sparks of light in her eyes, her joy or smile. Like I said before, I've lost too much, and gained nothing… Jude was the only one who could have stopped Abydos, a replica isn't capable of that."

With those final words, the elder head to the door, followed by his two companions and Tear, who looked quite worried. Once they left, I lounged in my seat, and everyone else stared at me with downhearted expressions.

"What? I got dirt in my eyes, ok…?"

* * *

><p>The room was completely dark; the luxurious objects that adorned it were mere shadows to the Commandant, nothing of real value. He had always wondered why they would make him wait in the dark whenever he went to the decrepit mansion Abydos used as a Headquarter.<p>

Gold would always joke about the air of mystery that it gave the place, but he knew there had to be something more. He tapped the arm of his chair with his finger, he hated waiting. If there was something Van hated more than having Gold around, was having him disappear when he needed him the most.

After a few more minutes of silence and darkness, a candle lit up in the distance, the flame danced toward him and as it got closer, two familiar shadows came to view. The man was holding the candle while the woman sauntered beside him.

"Commandant, I'm surprised. I never expected to see you so soon!" The harpy giggled, resting her head on her companion's shoulder. Jacko seemed undisturbed by the woman's action… he always seemed undisturbed, actually. To him, awkward situations did not exist. "To what do we owe this honor~?"

"I want to know were Gold is, he said he could fix Oblivion." Van barked, rubbing temples. "Your leader said Gold would be useful, but he has turned out to be a nuisance!"

"Now, now, there is no need to use that tone." The harpy smiled evilly, "Know your place Vandesdelca."

"But we made an agreement!" Van snapped.

Jacko pulled away his bangs indifferently, "Gold is currently in a mission, our leader's orders… You don't want to defy him, do you?" Van answered with a glare.

"Besides," The hideous woman began; her tone grew darker as she spoke. "You are the dirty cheater here."

"What are you talking about?" Van frowned, straightening his position.

"Mystic, you never told us Asch had it… YOU kept it a secret! And worst of all, now, nobody has it because one of Arietta's monsters decided to keep it!" Van tried to remain calm. "Our dear leader is amazing; he can see all that stuff you've been trying to hide!"

"Like what?" Van defied.

"Like the fact that your sister has some resemblance to Yulia." Jacko replied almost swiftly.

The harpy grinned, "AH, YES! There is really no doubt you both are Yulia's descendents. But tell me, why didn't you tell _him_ about how much she looked like her?" Van didn't respond; he had trouble finding the right answer, the one that wouldn't get him killed. If _he_ already knew, then- "Don't you know he would do anything to see his _dear_ Yulia again? Or was that the reason you kept your mouth shut?"

Van found himself at loss for words; his hands were sweating and shaking. The masked man leaned closer, almost in a threatening way.

"Consider _this_ a warning, Vandesdelca. You wouldn't want our leader to cross paths with her, do you?" Van shook his head from left to right.

"Good, see you next time then~." And as if nothing had happen, both members of the clan walked away gingerly, Van took this as an opportunity to take a deep breath… alone with the silence. Wondering why the place was always dark, again. It was too obscure for him to notice that a small drop of blood… that fell from above… had stained his sleeve.

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><p><strong>So, how bad was it? XD<strong>

**Don't worry guys; we'll be out of this hole next chapter! GOOD GOD, I MISS THE OUTERLANDS!**

**BTW, if you didn't realize it, Asch was yelling at Luke, who is inside his mind, not Jude. God, I'm going to have fun with thatttttttt~!**


	24. Chapter 24: The Labyrinth

**Sup bros! That's right, new chapter! ALSO, DO NOT FREAK OUT, THIS CHAPTER BEGINS WAY DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER.**

**I might not have been able to draw Jacko or Jude, BUT at least I could write a longer chapter. Now I can finish Chapter 3 of Black Waters a bit more relax, thta one is almost done too. Talking about BW, go check out Ivan's and Phills Bio if you haven't. OMFG yes, I was finally able to draw Ivan.**

**edit: sorry about the mistakes, I was too exited when I wrote this. XD  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter 24: The Labyrinth<p>

My boots clatter loudly against the floor, the noise resounded as the distant walls of darkness kept expanding. Is there really no end? My anguished heart was pressing against my chest, and I breathe heavily as I looked back, afraid that _her_ voice would reach me as I kept running.

"_Where are you my child~?_" _She_ was singing a slow lullaby, not different from the ones parents sing to their children before going to sleep. "_Why you run away? Let me bring you home, you'll be safe again, safe again~._"

_Her_ voice was strangely sweet, but I didn't stop. I would have stayed to hear the song… if I had not known who she was, of course. A harpy will always be a harpy. Not so long ago, she had sung that dark fonic hymn of hers, which can explain why my surroundings were coated with abysmal darkness. I was assuming that –just like the normal fonic hymn– singing a quarter of the whole hymn was a different incantation, and that said incantation had created this hallucination.

Or at least, that's what I was hoping; I knew it was virtually impossible to be in Port Belkend one second and then just running around like an idiot in the middle of nowhere. I'll get to how that happened, later…

Despite that I was running really fast, the harpy's voice was getting louder and louder.

"_Where are you my child? Sing this song for me. Let me embrace you with the dawn, just come to me, just come to me~_." Her last notes held an air of mischief. OH no, there is no freaking way I'm getting near that bitch!

My throat dried when I noticed that vines started to come out from the floor, they were coming out from my sides as I passed by. The long roots tangled between them in just a few seconds, forming large, bushy walls around me. Their fast-forward speed was astonishing; it was so quick that a strong wind current stroke from behind as the walls kept forming in front of me, like a labyrinth.

The harpy's maniac laugh echoed through the newly made corridors and I barely had time to dodge her flexible blades, which cut through the right wall with the speed of arrows. The grip on my sword tightened and I focus on that side as more blades pierce through the thick wall of vines.

"Stop running!" She growled, her voice was distant. And I decided it was better not to answer, speaking would only help her localize me.

I stopped running when the hostile sound of blades cutting through the air died down. Her voice wasn't contaminating the atmosphere anymore, there was only quietness. I tried to find an irregularity in the air, a sound, any sound. Those were probably the best, silent, bloodless five seconds of my entire life. A second later, twelve to sixteen blades had run through the left wall and blocked my path –just a few inches away from my skin.

"I think I missed." The harpy protested. I turned on my heel, ready to run to the opposite direction. I was starting to wonder where Jacko had gone; I was running around like an idiot because I knew risking a double encounter could get me killed. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, Asch appeared ahead, running towards me.

"Jude, are you alright?" He shouted as he got closer and close. I was going to shush him, tell him to keep his voice down, but it took me less than an instant to know everything was wrong. He took out his sword and thrust it towards me; I pulled back, almost tripping with my own feet. I had just one heartbeat to block his attack, and another one to push the blade and hop away.

"Asch?" My voice was soft, with a hint of indignation.

"Jacko, honey, hurry up. The clock will strike twelve on this princess pretty soon~." The harpy's voice rang again.

"I know!" Asch replied, though his voice was like Asch's, he was clearly not him. "I'm almost done."Oh great, Jacko is a chameleon. What else could go wrong?

I took a fighting stance, resigned to whatever was going to happen next. Many thoughts popped into my head and time stopped as I recalled that it had been just a few days ago, that our party had seen the light of the sun for the first time in days. That the Tartarus had been lifted by the large lightning-like branches of the Sephiroth and had taken it to the surface of Auldrant, the Outer Lands. My vision blurred as the memories turned clearer.

I remember waking up early that day, the landship was sailing at six a.m and I wanted a little bit of time to go and see Luke by myself before leaving. Though Tear seemed to act like she was not hearing the knocks on her door, I was able to see her peek through the window of the second floor; two or three times just to be sure it was me. But I insisted, and she opened the door after the eleventh time.

After opening it, she immediately head back to the kitchen without saying a word. And excuse me if I'm a bitch, but I wasn't in the mood of begging and crying for forgiveness, so I just head to the second floor as if nothing had happened. In there, I found Luke lying motionless on Tear's bed, and just beside him, his inseparable partner, Mieu.

I greeted the small creature with a weak smile, in response; he glided towards me and hugged my shoulder with an innocent smile. I hadn't seen him for a while and I scratched his ear with a soft giggle. Then, I turned to Luke with a crestfallen look. I had hardly believed when they –Ion and the rest of the crew– told me Luke wouldn't wake up. It wasn't pity what I felt, when I saw him. It was a strong anguish that had built up with the thoughts of a sleeping beauty, asleep to never wake up.

I just stood there, remembering how I enjoyed making fun of him, the happy, ignorant times. One part of me was wishing to go back to those times, the other one was not. Because I was aware that all those events had made stronger and that I should have found comfort in Mayor Teodoro's harsh words. I was me, not her.

After spending two or three more minutes of comforting silent with Luke, I headed downstairs, looking for Oliver –he had stayed with Tear this whole time. But when I didn't find him anywhere, I asked Tear.

"He was no longer in his bed when I woke up." She replied dryly.

"Maybe he is already waiting for us at the dock. He said he was going to be there to watch us leave." I said, putting a finger to my lips. The only response I got from her was a huff. So I changed subject, "Are you going to see us leave?"

"I'll stay with Luke…" She said, bitterly. And not long after her answer, I was fuming.

"You know, I'm aware my original should be here talking to you, instead of me." I began. "But unfortunately, she isn't and it's not my fault. However, I think Jude's death wasn't an accident and I'll find out what happened. So instead of being a total bitch, you could try convincing your grandfather so he can tell us more about Abydos!" I'm still not sure if I actually talked with my original in the garden of selenias or if what she said about Van killing her was real. But of course, I couldn't accuse Van of such thing when he was Tear's brother.

Without caring how she was going to react, I turned on my heel and walked out of the house towards the dock. I would've gone to the garden again if I have had time; I wanted to see if I could find my original there. Unfortunately, I was already late to board the landship.

Once I got into the Tartarus, I found Anise and Guy at the entrance, they told me Oliver hadn't show up and that the elders had some town folks looking for him. Minutes went by and he never showed up, Jade said we wouldn't wait any longer and we had no other option but to set sail. I was just hoping he was ok; and tried to be positive about the possibilities of where he could be. Thought I had a bad feeling about it, to be honest.

So, since the trip from Yulia City to the remaining of the Sephiroth was a few hours long, I decided to take a stroll through the halls of the Tartarus to kill off the time. I would have loved having someone's company but they needed at least four people to operate the Tartarus, which meant, Asch, Anise and Guy had to stay in the control room with Jade as supervisor –no less.

Kogamaru decided to stay with Asch, hell; he never gets away from him. Ion, on the other hand… Well, Ion didn't look better than any other day. He was pale, and his tired expression told me he needed some rest. So, that left me with Natalia as my only option, something I didn't even consider.

However, I'm not surprised that she took that opportunity to look for another private conversation.

"Jude…" Her voice was soft, barely audible compared to the oceanic sounds that came from the Qliphoth. I turned around, keeping a straight. "Ummm, I was wondering if you would –no– if you have considered helping me. I know you don't have to-"

I raised a hand to make her stop, I had been aware that she would try to talk with me again at some point. And I already had an answer. "Look, I'm NOT going to help you. I'm Asch's friend but there is no way I'm getting involved in whatever this is about."

Her expression darken quickly, her shy, innocent smile was replaced with anger. "I knew it…" She began. "You like Asch, don't you? You want him for yourself!"

"Wha-what?" I shook my head in horror. I think I have said this before, but I would never, ever, ever, ever, think of Asch as a… Well… he smells good… and he doesn't look so bad when his hair is- "HEY, WHOA! HOLD ON! Wh-What makes you think that?"

"Jude, I'm not stupid!" Yeah, right.

"Look, Natalia I DON'T need to hear this… Honestly…" I flattened a palm over my forehead and sighed. "Re-Really? Are you even listening to what you are saying? Asch and me? Pffff! Come on!"

"You can deny and pretend that you don't give a damn, all you want, but I know the truth!" She roared, Yulia I thought she was going to tackle me or something like that! "YOU like him, you do!"

"Ugh, stop saying nonsense!" I hissed. "If you want to be with him THAT MUCH, then, fine! Go to him, BE with him and I'll just try to avoid him so that you can finally stop crying about it!"

Natalia was obviously hurt by my words, but she kept her head high. "Promise it…" She mumbled. "Promise me that you won't get closer to him, ever again!"

"Wha- Forever? I never said forever." I could see where that was going. She frowned. "Damn this is so childish… Fine! I won't get close to Asch EVER AGAIN! Blah blah, yadda yadda, whatever."

I got another disapproving look from her, but I just decided to turn on my heel and cross my arms. She was ready to keep on rambling, but I was saved by Ion, who smiled innocently as he walked towards us.

He told us Jade had called everyone to the control room, we were finally near the Sephiroth and our dear Colonel thought it was best to stay together in those circumstances, especially because we didn't know if the Tartarus would suffer complications during the process.

Natalia and I pushed personal matters aside and followed the Fon Master. I must admit I was a little nervous about it, raising a landship THIS big to the Outer Lands is not something you do every day…

* * *

><p>"Can we run a landship this size with only four people?" Asch looked back at Jade, who was inserting strange codes into the Tartaru's network system. From what I could see –I was standing right beside him– he was calibrating the controllers and rebooting the system, that way, Anise, Asch and Guy would be able to take care of the part of the network that wasn't in AUTOMATIC mode.<p>

"Only with the minimum maneuverability." Jade replied, tapping keys here and there.

"Sephiroth are the pillars that support our Outer Lands, right?" Anise stood up on her toes to look over the huge metallic chair she was sitting on. "How are we going to use that to get back up?"

"The Sephiroth are places where the planet's fonons are concentrated and memory particles are spout forth." Ion replied. "The pillars –Sephiroth Trees– are the results of artificially strengthening those memory particles spouts."

"Sephiroth _Trees_~?" I snorted. "_Artificial_ Strengthening~? That doesn't sound _ecological _at all!" Quack, quack, quack~. That earned me 'are-you-serious?' looks from everyone else. "Ugh! Fine, I'm not making puns ever again!"

"Good to know." Jade grinned. I rolled my eyes.

"So…" Guy began. "In other words, we're going to be pushed up by memory particles."

"We'll temporarily stimulate the Sephiroth and catch the memory particles with the Tartarus's sails." Jade said, completing the final arrangements in the network.

"I hope it works…" Natalia frowned.

"Don't worry." Asch said, pushing some of the buttons in his keyboard, and twisting a metallic cylinder –I assume it was the engine. "Begin!" Asch was still talking when the sound of bumbles and effervescency grew louder and louder, until it was the only thing we could hear.

"Wha-what the hell is that?" I snapped; reaching for Jade's shoulder as the floor wasn't stable anymore. I could feel the waves of the Qliphoth swaying madly beneath us. Outside, the panorama was covered with blinding lights coming out of the liquefied core of Auldrant.

Said lights raised and started to form branches as they stuck in the sails of the Tartarus, before I could predict what was going to happen next, the Tartarus was bouncing from branch to branch as they grew larger, taking the landship higher and higher until we were able to pass through the hole in the sky. Gravity pulled the Tartarus down, falling into the blue oceans of the Outer Lands.

I had to contain the urge to throw up, especially because I was practically attached to Jade's uniform, which was the only thing I had near to avoid falling on my face. Jade looked at me from over his shoulder and gave me a pitiful smile.

"My, wasn't that a little rough?"

"Sh-shut up." I groaned, letting him go when the wooden floor of the Tartarus finally stopped swaying.

He adjusted his glasses and looked at the others, everyone looked fine, however Natalia was feeling sick as well, I could see it on her face. "It looks like we made it." Jade announced. Not shit, Jade.

Natalia shook her head to shake off the dizziness, and then frowned in disbelief. "I can't believe this is floating in mid-air…"

"So," Guy stood up and reclined on his chair in a lazy manner. "Where do we go now?"

"We can get information at Fon Machine Lab 1 in Belkend." Asch suggested. "Van goes there often."

"He does?" Anise raised a brow; she was having trouble looking at Asch from where she was, like I said, the metallic chair was too big for her.

"I misunderstood Van's objectives. We'll have to uncover his activities to find out what Abydos and Van are after." Asch said, tapping his boot on the floor as he was getting comfortable in his seat.

"Now that I remember," I crossed my arms. "Van said something was wrong with Oblivion, that the medallion would no longer follow his orders and that I would bring me consequences." Yeah, I might have forgotten to say that before… Oops…

"Wha-?" Guy gave me a deadpan look. "How could you forget to tell us something THAT important?" Everyone matched his glare; I should have known they would react like that.

"I-I…. I was going through a lot of stuff, ok?" I snapped. "Part of that stuff doesn't even have to do with me." I barked, giving Natalia a dirty look, everyone –except Asch– caught the message, even Natalia glared back at me. Hey, I wasn't lying now, was I? At least they couldn't complain about that.

"Tch." Asch turned to his keyboard, eye twitching in annoyance. "That's splendid… so we don't have much time then..."

"I wanted you to take Ion and me back to Daath." Anise mumbled. "But, in that case…"

"We'll take you back once we are done." Asch said, swift enough to make the young girl shut her mouth. "I need bodies to operate the Tartarus."

"Why not use your own men?" Guy asked. Come on Guy, even I know that answer.

"I can't. Everything I do would be leaked to Van." Asch scoffed.

"I don't see any problem with helping Asch. We, too, need to know Van's true objectives." Natalia mused, and I had to admit she had a point there.

"Natalia is right." Ion said, looking at Anise. He got a nod from his Fon Master Guarian.

"…If you say so Ion then, I'll go along." She added.

"I have something I want to confirm as well." Jade looked at us over his glasses, "I'll cooperate with Asch for a time."

"Looks like we'll all stick together one way or another." I sighed. That meant I would have to see Natalia every day, she probably felt the same but she was willing to make a sacrifice to be with Asch as long as she could –I was totally expecting that.

"Belkend is to the east. Now get to work!" Asch snapped. This guy, honestly, he can't go around talking to people like they are his lackeys.

I looked out through one of the windows, the sun was hanging high in the sky, the clouds were white and clean, the salty breeze had replace the putrid stench that came from 'underworld'. That name fits the Qliphoth perfectly, it's a hellhole.

"Hey, Jude." I turned around, Asch was the one calling. "Come here. Can you do me a favor?" I instinctively looked at Natalia from the corner of my eye before heading towards him. I was afraid that she would take me down with a single arrow before I could ask him what was up.

"Umm, sure, what is it?" I asked. Asch unstrapped his belt –sword still hanging from it– and shoved it into my hands.

"Can you take this to my room? I can't have it here now, it's bothering me. Thanks." And just like that, he turned to the screen and kept working on whatever he was suppose to be doing. I glared at him; I could have sworn I heard Anise giggling at the other side of the room. I knew she was enjoying all of this, Asch's bitchness and Natalia's … bitchness as well. Huh? Aren't they perfect for each other?

"Fine."I huffed, briefly calculated the distance between the sword's hilt and Asch's head. An evil smile tugged from my lips. And just as planned, when I turned around on my heel, I 'accidently' knocked him on the back of the head with it.

"OW! What the-" He rubbed the back of his head as he glared in my direction.

"Oops…" I said in an obvious fake tone. Kogamaru was now flying in circles, emitting noises that could be classified as his laugh, while Anise was biting her lip, suppressing the urge to do the same.

"Young love…" Jade sighed with a shrug. I just decided to pretend he never said that, because well… I like him, not Asch! Guy gave him a sideway look before eyeing Natalia.

The fact that she was pissed didn't go unnoticed, of course, but regardless, I walked out of the control room with dignity and head to Asch's room, cursing him under my breath. I really don't understand this guy; sometimes he is so nice its creepy and other times… Well, other time he is just Asch.

I had a few problems finding his room. You know, since the Tartarus is fucking huge and I couldn't even remember in which room I left my bag, though I was positive it was somewhere near the deck of the landship.

Fifteen minutes later, I found his room; I was so tired looking around that I collapsed over his bed after carefully placing his sword next to the wall. I grabbed a pillow and covered my face with it, hoping that I would be able to relax a bit.

But I heard steps in the hall, I immediately jumped out of the bed to tell Natalia –assuming it was her– to fuck off, to my surprise, the hall was completely empty. Oh god, could the Tartarus really be haunted? I tried to push out those thoughts from my head, but it was inevitable when I saw a small shadow –from the corner of my eye– running to the other side of the corridor.

Out of pure panic, I closed the door shut and locked it. It was better to stay in Asch's room until that _thing _–whatever it was– runs off somewhere else. I pressed my back on the door and heaved a sighed; I needed some sort of distraction meanwhile, I'm so NOT into paranormal stuff.

And you know, this situation reminded me of the first time I met Asch. I remember being locked inside his room back at Daath and looking around the room while he hadn't arrived yet. That same memory made me wonder if Asch had changed any habits since I met him, so being as bored –and scared– as I was, I decided to look around his stuff.

Well, of course, you can't take much when you are traveling around the world, though I did found basic stuff like clean clothes and a comb. And apparently, wherever he goes he keeps the place clean. However, this time I found lots of bottles of hair gel in his bag, each one was of a different brand. What caught my attention was that most of these bottles were half used.

Was it possible that… Asch needs a lot of hair gel to keep it back…? I covered my mouth as I started to laugh. "No way!" I snorted. "Could it be…?" And then, another evil smile tugged from my lips, I was feeling naughty that day, I swear.

So, what I did next was, I took all those damn bottles and unlocked the door, kicking it open. I had totally forgotten why I was hiding there in the first place, that's the good thing of freaking awesome ideas. Anyway, I took all those bottles to the deck and then looked around just to make sure no one was going to see me.

Once I secured the area, I threw all the bottles to the sea. Yeah, what you heard! I didn't do it only because it was going to be funny to see how Asch would handle it, I told you before, I was having an obsession with his hair. I was pretty sure he would know it was me who that got rid of his hair gel, you know, since he sent me to his room. But come on, whatever the consequences were going to be, I knew it was worth it. Besides, if the Tartarus was really hunted now, I could use that as an excuse.

After that little prank, I went back to the control room like nothing had happen.

Days passed, two or three before we got to Port Belkend and I must say, hell, I spent them bored to death. I offered my assistant to Jade and the others; they all looked tired since they needed to be there to operate the landship the whole time. But apparently, everyone thought it was best if I could stay far –far, far, far away– from the controllers. No one seemed to trust my abilities with technology, well, not like I have any in the first place.

The only thing that kept me from actually _dying_ of boredom was watching Asch struggle with his untamable hair. Just like I thought, he came to my room asking 'Where the hell were his hair gel bottles?' And believe it or not, he DID buy the 'Ghosts-took-it' excuse. Why? Because I wasn't the only one that saw that small shadow wandering around the Tartarus. Guy even says some of the food we had in storage had vanished. So Asch had no other option but to deal with his now awesome, messy, looking hair. Haha, Kogamaru was happier to have a new, and much better 'nest'.

But, being serious for a moment, I think Asch is going over some type of internal conflict because he still keeps talking to himself… Scratch that, I meant that he keeps insulting himself. And that was obviously pissing Natalia because Asch was more interested in talking to himself rather that listening what she had to say.

She has also being much more hostile with me lately, especially because Asch had come looking for me –when I kept my 'promise' of staying away from him–, or at least that's what Anise said she said. I mean, it might have been my fault that he came looking for me, but was I really sorry about that…? NOT AT ALL~!

Anyways, moving on to stuff that is worth talking about, I spent most of my time trying to decipher the spider web system of memories Van mentioned. I had totally forgotten about that until I found that old page –with the picture of a spider web in it– crumbled inside my bag. I'm proud to say there was a lot progress this time!

Remember what I said about memories been linked to emotions? I was able to find out what that was about; I actually had Ion help me out with that. We divided the spider web in two parts, writing the words: happiness and sadness. One in the top of the page and one at the bottom then, we wrote more words like: excitement and grief, placing them in their respective side of the page (either happiness or sadness).

You see, we wrote more emotions on the spider web, right in the places where more than one thread are connected, so in the end, we had a chart of emotions. With that, I was able to understand how a certain emotion is linked to another emotion and so on. And who knows, it may be useful later.

Apart from that, I had to take my pills –the ones Dr. Long prescribed me– daily, and as I mentioned before, the medicine caused a not so pleasant–HORRIBLE PAIN!

You can imagine how happy I was when we finally got to Port Belkend. The lively atmosphere at the dock cured the dreadfulness and boredom of the past few days. The cry of seagulls hovering in the sky and the noise of the town folks and travelers were like music to my ears. Even the sound of the rusty gears and the smell of oil where welcomed. I had forgotten how amazing the atmosphere in the Outer Lands was; it felt like I had spent an eternity in Yulia City, and oh Yulia, that sounds awful when you realize how abominable, unworthy and vile the Qliphoth is. I'm sure I wasn't the only one that felt like that.

I was the first one to jump out of the boat; I was feeling as if I had been trapped in a cage this whole time, away from the world I was used to. Away from what life was like from point of view, that's when I knew I had underestimated the people of Yulia City, they were really strong. Keeping themselves away from so many possibilities and opportunities, they were basically give up their own desires just to keep an eye on what was happening down there.

They were brave, they weren't afraid of looking at the same, old, damn faces over and over again, they weren't afraid of the tedious, boring, gloomy structure they were trapped in. And they were definitely not afraid of living there for the rest of their lives, when they could have something or someone better for them in the outside world.

So, if they weren't afraid of any of that… was there really any excuse for me to be afraid of whom I was? When I could run around the world as if that was normal in such dangerous, complex world? When I could go from the 'underworld' to the Outer world with a landship that was big enough to be a building? When I could see what their eyes would never, ever see? Of course not.

Asch and Natalia where just right behind me as I went on rambling inside my own head –as always.

"Belkend is the territory of your father, isn't it?" A fond smile appeared on Natalia's face as she looked at the place. Neat cobbled floor, streetlamps, filigreed details made of iron and gold pipes; this had to be the cleanest port I had ever seen. "When we were young, we went together to Belkend's-"

"The city is to the south, let's go." Asch cut it, leaving us –Natalia and me– a bit stunned as he walked away.

"Asch…" Natalia was going to try stopping him but she gave up halfway. Asch just kept walking, and that's when Natalia glared at me for like the twentieth time in this journey.

"Wha-What?" I raised my hands and shook them in despair. "Hey, I didn't do anything!" She turned around, head high, and stomped away, following Asch like a lost child.

I sighed, wondering if I would ever get used to this 'situation'. Jade and the rest, who had stayed at the back to have a front row view of what was happening, stood in silence. Guy gave me an apologetic smile, if there was anyone that knew Natalia more than Asch… that was him. I suppose that gesture meant that everything was good and that her attitude was pretty much normal.

Anyway, we followed Asch and Natalia from a long distance. No one seemed to be interested in interrupting Natalia's attempt of getting a few kind words out of her dear's mouth. But I knew that would be impossible; Asch had been acting less friendly the past few days, part of that was my fault, he looked really uncomfortable with his hair now. But whatever, he looks awesome that way!

That was when I spotted a black blob from the corner of my eye; I stopped as I turned around to look at what had caught my eye. Guy and the others didn't notice, they kept walking as my eyes locked on the dark alleyway that must have been sixteen to twenty feet away from us.

My heart skipped a beat while my eyes focus on the masked man's back. In an instant, my rationality was no longer there… or anywhere, my capability of verbalizing was gone as well. Jacko disappeared through the curtain of shadows that fell over that sinister alleyway, the only thing there was left to do was chase him –at least, that's what I thought in that moment.

I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not afraid from the truth.

Before I knew it, I had already drawn out my sword, following him through the alley way. Water splashed beneath my feet as I stepped on a puddle, the cobbled floor was slippery but I was able to regain balance. He turned round the corner, and I ran faster to catch up.

But to my surprise, that alley was empty when I got there. Had the noise of the water gave me away? Where was he? My shock didn't last long, though.

Familiar flexible blades shot from above, I was able to notice just in time when the light of the sun sparkled on them. I jumped back, while her metallic tentacles pierced through a few garbage cans right behind me.

The harpy grinned from where she stood –over the nearest rooftop. From that angle, I could see purple locks coming out of her hood.

"My, and I though finding you would be difficult…" She pulled the blades back, taking the cans that had stuck on them and then just throwing them back at me.

I was able to knock one with my sword, before dodging the other one. Knowing that she had the advantage this time, I took one of the garbage can lids lying on the floor to use it as a shield. I was able to deflect and dodge many of her attacks that way, while I tried to find away to get to her without letting my guard down.

After coming up with a few useless possibilities, one of her blades pierced right into the lid –away from my fingers, thanks Yulia.

I tried to unstuck the weapon but it was impossible, the woman lifted me up when she pulled her tentacles –which were still stuck in my shield– leaving me suspended in the air.

"WHOA!" I held tight to the lid. A fall from that height could have broken some of my bones.

"I thought you would put a better fight." The harpy sighed. I desperately looked for away to buy me some time. My gaze fell upon a pipe that had been secured to a wall.

"I'm not done yet!" I scoffed, swinging my feet to then, jump and hold from it. Followed by piercing a hole in the pipe with the tip of my sword, making the oil leak out in her direction. She stepped away; it gave me enough time to reach the roof, putting some distance between us.

"You are not as dumb as you look~." She laughed. "It's too bad things have to end now… We are running out of time."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I growled. "I want answers."

"I'm not the right person to do that, honey." She swung her blades low, and they wrapped around one of my boots.

I tried to unbind my leg. But she pulled again, making me fall on my back. "Crap! Fang Blade!" The bluish edge of light didn't hit her, but it served as distraction. My binds loosen, and I took that chance to escape... or at least, I tried.

"_Eh ze riou cata vi… kinah eh, Kura ivo le ve~…"_ But the abyss swallowed me. That how I ended up…trapped like a mouse. I came back to reality again, to what was happening now, to Jacko –who looked exactly like Asch– me.

The grip on my sword tighten as I heard footsteps behind me, I risked a few seconds to look back. The harpy was there…

"Don't worry…" I glanced at Jacko as soon as he spoke, swinging his sword with a smile. "This won't hurt… that much…"

* * *

><p><strong>Songs I recommend (Not related to this story. They are just awesome songs.):<strong>

**Howl - Florence + The Machine**

**Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine (wait... Jude and Asch song?)  
><strong>

**Ray Charles - Chiddy Bang (I LOVE THIS ONE)**


	25. Chapter 25: The Rascal and the Bookworm

**MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS!**

**Sorry for the lack of update but College turned me down and more of that crap. But I´m ok now, just chilling. I got a WACOM TABLET, freaking Christmas present!**

**I don´t want to talk much, so you can read the chapter which is the main point here. I just want to say Black Water´s third chapter is in my deviant art page for those who are interested and haven't read it yet. You´ll also find more bios and an awesome sketch-dump I uploaded three days ago.**

**I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas, and I also wish you have a Happy New Year! **

* * *

><p>Chapter 25: The Rascal and the Bookworm<p>

There was too much air in my lungs… or maybe none, my throat was dry and the sensation was familiar, too familiar. It was like that dream I had before I met Van for the first time, and I was starting to wonder if it had really been a dream in the first place.

But of course, I wasn't in the type of circumstance were thinking too much would get me anywhere. I was trapped between Jacko (who still looked like Asch) and the purpled haired harpy. I found myself unsure on which way to look. Either way, I was doomed.

I turned my head away from Jacko for a brief second –just too make sure the harpy wasn't about to stab me from the back–, enough time for him to snap his fingers. The sound made me turned to him almost automatically; he had gone back to his real form, with the mask in its usual place. Between his long, gloved fingers he held his mirror, however, this time he had place it in front of me. Seeing my own reflection startled me for a moment.

It only took me half a second to realize he was whispering something behind his mask, he was verbalizing too low and quickly for me to understand the chant rolling out his tongue. The whole situation was odd; odd enough for me to just stand there questioning if there was something - anything I could do at that point, not to mention how silent and usual the atmosphere was in that instant. I was surprised that the harpy had spared a couple of invaluable seconds of 'murder time' in behalf of her partner's concentration.

And then… another familiar sensation bloomed, one that I wasn't wary of either. My left eye was burned and I could feel how my eyeball was scorching my eyelid and eyelashes, like hot, red coal. I fell on one knee, a vociferating screech scaled out from my throat, full of profanities and threats. The shriek rasped my throat, but the pain was too strong for me to care. I slammed a palm over my eye –which projected a golden beam of light whenever I tried opening it, looking through it was like having a damn kaleidoscope glued to my eye.

My scream died abruptly when a loud thump shook the floor, and that's when I registered another scream, not of my own. In fact, the scream belonged to a man and I realized that it was Jacko, who had collapsed a few feet away from me. He was in as much pain as I was, he was also projecting a gold light, thought his came from the contours of his mask, not just one area, but all of his face was glowing.

The harpy walked past me and stopped in front of him, I was pretty sure her intentions were to help him, but she looked too serine to say that the current situation was unexpected to her. She balled her hands into fists, almost painfully and turned on her heel to avoid looking at how her partner was being tortured by… whatever was causing our pain.

"Damn it Jacko…" She hissed regretfully. Jacko responded with more screams, I didn't stay behind either.

"What the fuck is going on?" I sobbed, the pain had forced me to curve into a ball and shut my eyes closed as my fingers tangled through the smoky darkness breathing out from the floor. I don't think my question was caught unaware, but the harpy decided to ignore it.

She looked down at me from beneath her cloak, her mouth contorted with disdain and she threatened me with her weapon. "Builder saved you in our first battle, but he isn't here to save you now."

"B-Builder?" I choked painfully as I stood up. An evil smile curved in her lips, she was about to say something, however…

"Caba! That's enough!" Jacko snapped, staggering to his feet. Helpless and weak as I was, I could care less about the harpy's name. "Besides, orders are orders, we must retreat now."

As soon as his last words resounded through the darkness, the dull particles that formed the hallucinating labyrinth and blackness around us started to disperse like dust. A large, brown figure broke through the blackish masquerade from above, dissipating the rest of the darkness in a blink of an eye. Jacko jumped away from me when said figure swept me off my feet after skydiving toward us, strapping me to its back who-knows-how.

I instinctively shut my eyes closed as –whatever the figure was– grabbed me and carried me away on its back. Surprising enough, when I opened my eyes, an aerial shot from above the buildings of Belkend welcomed the dizziness, followed by a loud screeching sound that slammed into my ears, the cry of a bird, of a hawk to be exact.

The brown figure I was now riding was actually Kogamaru, who had obviously used his ability to turn into an enormous bird, but he wasn't alone.

"When are you going to start thinking before acting?" Asch scolded, wrapping his arms tighter around my legs and back as Kogamaru kept circling around, the creature was probably waiting for the redhead's next orders.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking!" I growled, giving him a stern look.

"Pffff!" Asch grinned. "That statement would have work if your eye wasn't bleeding and shining like a damn light bulb." I tapped my eye carefully, and scowled when I notice my fingers were tinted with the thick liquid.

"Shit!"

"Imprudent as always." Asch mused.

"Ugh, why am I even discussing this with you?" I snapped. "Now, let go off me!" In that instant, we were attacked by the so familiar tentacle blades from below. Kogamaru struggled as he did his best to dodge the attacks.

"Come down here, you little rats!" Caba, the crazy woman yelled. I wrapped my arms around Asch's neck tighter than before since our flying friend was performing all kind of pirouettes to keep away from said harpy's reach.

"I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU LET GO!" I yelled into Asch's ear. He pulled away and squeezed his eyes in reaction to my outburst.

"What a lady!" He spat, obviously annoyed.

"Shut up!" I hissed. "And where the hell is everyone else?" He immediately gestured me to look down, titling his head a little. Right below us –standing in a fighting stance, in the middle of the alley I had found not so long ago– were the others, facing Jacko while Caba was too far from their reach as she jumped from roof to roof, trying to cut us in half.

"Thunder Lance!"

It took us all by surprise when a shining projectile with the speed of an arrow hit Caba in the back. She turned around gritting her teeth in pain; her attacker was just three roofs away from her, with an impish smile…as always.

Jade looked at her from above his glasses before another casting circle could spread underneath his feet.

"Builder…" She hissed, in a threatening but sinister way. I was pretty sure I lost track of whatever that was supposed to mean because Jade definitely took that as an insult, I had never seen him so pissed in my entire, short life as a replica. For some unknown reason, that word had inspired him to cast 'Icicle Rain' upon the harpy over and over again until particles of hail could reach us up in the sky, not to mention that the roof Caba was standing on was severely damaged.

The purple haired harpy had fallen to one knee as Guy and the others had tried stopping Jade by demanding him to –at least– leave some of the atmosphere's fonons for them to use against Jacko, who wasn't actually attacking anyone. He just kept dodging arrows, blades and Tokunaga. Actually, now that I think about it, I have never seen that guy fight or perform a spell, not even a healing incantation. That's…odd and terrifying at the same time, I mean, does he know how to fight or does he think we are no match for him?

I had to put those thoughts aside as Caba stood up with a pained smile on her face. I looked at her in horror as I understood what her plans were. Having Jade use spells on her had brought up all those fonons considerably closer to her. That's the first thing that came to my mind when she started swinging her urumi above her head like the first time we encountered her. She was now trying to absorb all that bunch of fonons that Jade had showered upon her.

She shouted something, I didn't understand what it was but her weapon grew larger. Her huge tentacle blades fell over several building with a smashing force, destroying and pursuing the others like a worriless child killing ants in the backyard.

"Kogamaru, get us out of here!" Asch commanded, I looked at him in disbelief.

"What the hell are you doing? Jade and the others need our help!"

"Jude, if we stay here they'll keep destroying the port until there is nothing left!" As if the harpy had heard what he said, she targeted us again. This time, Kogamaru could barely avoid the huge blades that kept appearing from all directions.

The blades contorted around us as they tried forming some sort of cage, but Kogamaru was quick and intelligent. As soon as he found the opportunity, he skydived; it was the best option when you are just a few inches away from running into a tower.

My stomach sank with so many pirouettes, and it sunk even more when I realized Caba's tentacles were still after us, following through the alleyways as our flying friend tried to leave them behind. Being that close to the ground, I could finally hear the screams of the town folks, for a moment, I had forgotten that it wasn't only our lives that were now at risk.

"Damn it, that whore is stubborn as fuck!"

"No shit!"

I screamed and wrapped my hands tighter around Asch when the tentacles brushed Kogamaru's tail, cutting the tip of his feathers. Another scream followed when our flying friend abruptly gained altitude once more, at this point I would end puking all over Asch.

Hell no.

The mere thought of more embarrassing moments with Asch was enough to trigger what was coming next. Out of nowhere, my left eye was burning again. Without a second thought, the grip I held on my rapier tighten and I faced the tentacles with an unfamiliar air of fearlessness, a feeling I had never experimented before during a dangerous situation. I felt powerful and unstoppable, god-like.

Before I could realize what I was doing, violet glyphs started to circle around my feet. And words that in that moment came out spontaneously from my lips, began distort with each syllable I verbalized.

"O disturbing power now unleashed, mete thy judgment upon the evil before me! Violent Pain!" Tendrils of energy rose into the air and stroked down on the tentacles, arches of dark energy piercing them from above.

I stared at the destructive scene, quite shocked I must say; although the blades were supposed to be unanimated objects, they writhed in pain like a wounded animal. I had to look away when the pain increased and began scorching my eye, it was bleeding again.

The pain was melting all my senses, one by one. First was my sight and vision followed by dizziness. Hah, and I thought I was never going to feel those symptoms again.

"Hey! Jude! Are you ok?"

Before my brain could form a coherent sentence, everything turned black; I was in the darkness once again…

"_You shall hear my call, sister of my last blood. Bow down to me, your king, the King of the Abyss._"

-0-0-0-

Memory Fragment: Fabre Manor Part 1 (age: 10)

"Combed hair?"

"Checked."

"Selenias?"

"Checked!"

"Sandals?"

"Checked!"

"Lovely dress?" Van raised a brow with a grin. He was definitely mocking me.

"Ugh… Checked." I replied glaring down at my little white dress and throwing my arms to the air in exasperation. I'd never been fond of dresses and for rightful reasons, may I say. Back in Yulia City Danny was recognized for being one of the best wedding dress designers of the city, as part of her job she would also tailored any type of clothing, including children clothing. And yes, that included dresses for young ladies.

So, whenever she found the opportunity, she would force me into one of her latest creations –most of the time, dresses. She definitely had a thing for dresses– and I would have to deal with hours and hours of just standing there while she fixed the flaws. Occasionally, she would also talk about making me a wedding dress when I were older, which made it even more annoying since I was not interested in boys at that age.

Still, Danny died and my intolerance to dresses decreased, just a little.

Nonetheless, I was now standing in front of the Fabre Manor –property of the retired soldier, Duke Fabre– dressed with a white back-bow dress with pink laces, white sandals and my hair caught in a high pony tail while I held a large bouquet of selenias between my hands.

I know… ridiculous.

The selenias were a thank-you gift for Duchess Fabre; she had succeeded on convincing her husband of welcoming a poor orphan girl who had been marked as one of the worst of Yulia City's rascals… Tch, bunch of morons living inside a Christmas glass bubble ball.

"Now Jude, remember what I told you." Van crouched to look me in the eye. "Be polite, no elbows over the table, salute with a bow. No fights, no frowning, hair pulling or tongue sticking, don't play with the food-"

"Say thank you and please, make your own bed, don't ruin the garden!" I burst out, "I know, I know! Ugh, you are worrying too much!"

Van frowned and placed my suitcase on the floor before putting his hands on my shoulders. "Jude, the services I offer to this manor are as important as my position in the Order of Lorelei. I could even lose both of these jobs if something goes wrong. Promise me you'll behave."

I shook my head, up and down. "All right, I promise. I won't let you down!" He smiled in response.

"Good, now, shall we?" He offered me a hand; I took it gladly, holding the bouquet of selenias in the other hand.

Van guided me towards the main gate. There, he saluted the guards and explained them the situation at hand. The guards gave me a quick inspective glance before opening the gate for us, and Van had to give me a little push to go through since I was a little nervous.

Actually, I had been nervous all the way from Yulia City to Baticul, everything was so new to me, and even the people were different… kind. The different types of flowers and animals was inmense and incredible. The weather too, I was quite impressed that the selenias Van told me to cut were still alive and fresh-looking when we had to go from Daath Bay to Port Sheridan and then to Port Belkend. A long trip indeed, yet, I wasn't tired at all.

Van opened the main door and I walked in timidly, a few feet away from us were a man and a woman, both with long red hair. The woman gave me a sweet smile while the man remind calm and collected, still he didn't look happy at all, it made me feel a little bit uneasy.

Van approached, just in time for me to remember I had to grab the ends of my dress and make a little, gracefully bow. "Duke and Duchess Fabre, thanks for your hospitality."

"Awwww, isn't she adorable?" Duchess Fabre giggled. Hah, if she only knew Van made me say "hospitality" a billion times until I said it right.

"These are for you!" I beamed, giving her the bouquet.

"Oh, they are so beautiful. Thanks darling!" Duke Fabre stepped back when her wife hunched down to hug me.

"Suzanne!"

"Oh, I'm fine, you are worrying over nothing!" His wife complained. Van did mention Duchess Fabre's health wasn't stable, and that she was forbidden to leave her bed. But apparently, she wasn't the type of woman you could hold back easily. "So," She turned to me. "What's your name sweet heart?"

"Jude Haefner…" I replied, stepping back to grab Van's hand again. By the expression she made I could tell she thought that was adorable.

"Van, she is so cute! You should have told me before; we would have met this young lady years ago! " Suzanne beamed, enjoying the smell of the selenias for a second.

"Well… You know the reasons why I brought her; she needs to keep her mind away from _that_." Van gave me a little nudge before looking up. "I don't think Dannywould have agreed with the whole idea of this trip if she was here… but now that she's… you know…"

Suzanne nodded. "Don't worry; one of our maids will take her to her room. We'll do what we can to make her feel comfortable. Isn't that right, love?" Suzanne turned to her husband; he tilted his head a bit even though he was giving me dirty looks ever since I came in.

After a little bit of chitchatting, Van and Duke Fabre left to his studio to discuss some matter about I don't know what. I stayed with Suzanne for a while, until a maid with pigtails appeared from one of the halls and told her she would take care of me from now on.

The maid picked up my not-so-big suitcase and gestured me to follow her down the corridor at the right. I sprinted after her while admiring the many decorative paintings, antics and vases that adorned the manor; I had never been in a place so impeccable in my life. Even the air of that place felt cleaner and fresh, it was odd.

The swords and shields that decorated the regal walls of the manor called my attention the most. Weapons were common in the Outer Lands, but not in the Qliphoth, even when Van had a sword of his own –which he would use to practice back at Yulia City– he had to get permission from Mayor Theodoro to use it.

A huge garden –huge for a ten year old– appeared through the other side of the window panels. Types of flowers I had never seen before adorned it along with the bushes and vines that seemed so esthetically localized –obvious traces of a gardener's work– around the place, while the center had been stylish with stone, forming some sort of training area.

I was quite shocked at the vivacity of that place, it was so beautiful and unusual… unusually bright. The smell of cut grass reached my nostrils when we passed by an open window, it came with another wave of amusement because the smell was something you could perceive in Yulia City, at least, twice a year since the Qliphoth was not a place where greenery could grow easily.

The maid opened a random door and took my things inside. She explained me that breakfast was served in the kitchen at seven A.M; lunch was at twelve and supper at seven P.M, every single day. She also mentioned some rooms no one was allowed to go in –including me, of course– and that I could go to the garden every day except Lunaday and Sylphday in the morning because blah blah blah, didn´t hear that part.

Once she was done explaining she said she had a lot of work to do and that she had to leave right away, however, she did told me I could call her if I had any difficulties, too bad I couldn´t remember what was her name.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I considered if taking out my things from the suitcase was a good start… It wasn´t… I preferred taking a look around the place. First was my room, at least five times bigger than my room at Danny´s house, god that room was so claustrophobic. My room here was tidy, and it had a huge bed and a bathroom! Oh Yulia, a bathtub!

I quickly moved on to the garden, my room was great, but such a big room for one little girl didn´t have as many attractions as the garden in front of it. I rushed outside and grinned at how the turf snapped underneath my feet, the smell of cut grass reached me once again. The extravagancy of the flowers called me like a workaholic bee looking for pollen.

I was scrutinizing the petunias carefully when I caught streaks of red from the corner of my eye. At first it was only a blob behind the tall bushes, but as I quietly made my way through them… It became into something more… interesting.

I stood on my toes as I caught a glance at the back of a bench, one of those filigreed benches made of wood and metallic details. Sitting in said bench was a boy with red hair, which was quite a surprise since Van forgot to mention there were other kids in the manor. The boy was looking down at something; I couldn't tell what it was from my hiding spot. So, I tiptoed towards him as stealthily as possible. I got close enough to realize he was holding a book, a thick one; I leaned on the back of the bench to see the content of the book. A mess of tiny letters but with big words –at least for a boy his age– like "primogeniture", "interregnum", and "coregengy" . Hell, I could barely pronounce those words at that age.

"You are quite nosy, aren't you?" His voice startled me and I jumped back.

"Y-You knew I was here?" I stammered.

"Not until you started breathing over the back of my neck." He replied, without taking his eyes off the book.

"What are you reading?" I walked around the bench until I was in front of him. He closed the book with an abrupt thump, his verdant eyes looking down at me with the iciest glare I had ever seen.

"Look, I´m in the middle of my mandatory reading period right now. I don´t care if you are Master Van´s friend or whatever, just leave me alone!" He hissed. I merely raised a brow.

"So, you knew I was coming?" The boy rolled his eyes in exasperation. Then, he placed the book over the bench and jumped to his feet. He took a short strand of his own hair and stepped closer.

"Doesn´t THIS tells you anything?" He growled. I took a few seconds to find a valid answer to his question.

"That you are… a ginger?" I said tentatively. He smacked a palm over his face, obviously frustrated.

"Apart from the obvious…" He scowled. He didn´t get any sort of verbal answer this time, I simply shrugged. "Look, the only people here that have red hair –beside me– are my parent, which means MY parents are the lords and owners of this manor. Do you get it?"

"Duke and Duchess Fabre?" I chuckled. "That makes sense. But what kind of person has a mantory reading hour?"

"Its mandatory, not mantory." He protested. "And apparently, only important people like me have that kind of habits, which means you aren't important at all."

I frowned. "Sheesh, who wants to be a nerd anyway? You act like Tear when she is studying, bunch of bookworms…"

"What did you say?" The boy snapped.

"You heard me bookworm!"The tension was rising quickly between us.

"Are you looking for a bruised eye you midget?" I looked at him in disbelief.

"You're not even THAT tall! We are almost the same height!"

"Whatever you say… MIDGET!" He scoffed, crossing his arms with a confident, arrogant smile. I glared back at him, my hands balled into fist until my knuckles turned white. "Pffff, I didn't know blue-haired people could be so dumb either."

"Shut up!" I roared.

"What? Did I kick your ego in the butt?" He laughed, turning around and picking up his book before flashing an evil smile.

"You can shove that book of yours up your-"

"JUDE!" Van´s roar almost gave me a heart attack. I looked around desperately until I found him walking toward us from behind me. He looked… quite upset. "WHAT were you about to say, young lady?"

"Me – No, I wasn't – That's not – I was just – NOTHING!" Of course he didn't fall for it, not after that miserable attempt to save my own skin.

"Apologize to Luke… now." He commanded. I turned around and looked at "Luke", the annoying redhead, who waited patiently with a cocky smile.

"But he- he started!" I protested.

"Jude…" Van shook his head. "You promised. You promised you would behave; you promised you would be polite!" Now I was regretting having promised such thing in the first place. I bit my lip, almost remorsefully. I took a step towards Luke, rubbing my heel with the front of my other feet as my tongue refused to say THAT word.

I looked back at Van for an instant, like waiting for him to change his mind before the sound of my own voice could kill me by just pronouncing that horrendous, forbidden word, at least in my own dictionary. Van frowned, which meant he insisted.

I turned to Luke, who kept waiting like he had all the time of the world.

"I´m – I´m sssssssss…" The word stuck in my throat. Did I mention I had never apologized before? "I´m sooooo…."

"Jude…"

"I´m sooooooorrrrrrrrryyyyy." I finally spat. Luke snorted, turning his back once more. Still, he was considerably close to me when he whispered. He obviously wanted me to be the only to hear what he said.

"What kinds of parents give the name of a boy to a girl…?" I can't describe with details what happened next. The sudden rush of emotions was stronger than any little girl´s self-control.

"I´M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Before Van could react, I jumped of Luke´s back, tackling him to the floor in less than a second. No fights, no frowning, hair pulling or tongue sticking… it all went down the toilet.

* * *

><p><strong>Sweet chapter with mini Jude and "Luke", Ive been planning this scene since forever, I was finally able to put things together!<strong>

**IMPORTANT NEWS, the plotbunnies have take over Seal of Oblivion, I´m not even sure how long this story is going to be now, probably shorter than I expected but with a lot of surprises!**

**Random music cuz I like sharing:**

**Masters in France - Mad Hatter**

**The Weeknd - Wicked Games**

**Guster - Two points for Honesty**

**Childish Gambino - Heartbeat**

**Awesome songs!**


	26. Chapter 26: Cynthia

**WOOOO new chapter, and it has more than 5,000 words, yay!**

**Ok, first of all check deviant art for my newest deviation! I'm really proud of it!**

**Ohh and I might start a Assassin´s Creed fict when this story comes to an end, there´s still a long way to go though. It will have LOTS OF MURDER! **

* * *

><p>Chapter 26: Cynthia<p>

-0-0-0-

Memory Fragment: Fabre Manor Part 2 (age: 10)

The air around me was unsetting, a thick mist that has spread all around the room. The mighty star of day was hiding at the distance and its warm hues were dying around it. It looked as if the cold, dark sky was pushing the sun all the way down, rejecting it as it gave its last breath.

I was wondering if the mighty star was also scared of Duke Fabre. Maybe that's why it went away as the man spat strange words at me, words that were too offensive for me to understand or too refined perhaps.

Van stood behind me, too away from me to feel safe at all, head bowed as the Lord of the manor made accusations, head bowed as Suzanne Fon Fabre held Luke in an envious embrace, head bowed as the boy looked at me with his cocky green eyes.

Liar.

That single word had stuck in my head as if an arrow had stuck in my skull. The taste of injustice and humiliation were already familiar to me at that age, but when Luke said I was the one who started insulting… My blood had been set on fire once again.

I protested, called him liar as his mother looked at me with pitiful eyes, she knew her son too well, she knew what type of king her husband was trying to create. Yet, there was little she could do while Duke Fabre spat fire from his throat.

Van kept his mouth shut all the time, he knew Luke was lying but apparently, defying the kid and his father would be a waste of time. I demanded him to say the truth, tears rolling down my eyes but he kept his head bowed and his mouth shut, he never looked me in the eye.

The reunion came to a close, and I sprinted out of the room, blind with tears and disbelief. I ran and ran, aimlessly through the bright halls of the manor, pushing my way through whenever I bumped on someone's hip. Everything was blurry but still clear enough for me to dash without running into a wall or a decorative ornament.

The dark sky was now sprinkled with tiny, shiny dots and a huge moon hung at one side. The watchers of the night observed me as I opened the door to the garden and kept running, hoping to find a place where to cry freely.

I would have gone to my room if I had the capability to remember in that instant, but it was better that way, I didn't wanted to be found. I had dashed out of Duke Fabre's studio before he could give a verdict, if I could stay or not. Frankly, I couldn't care less, I had barely spent a day in the manor and I already hated it, along with Luke and his father. But Luke… specially Luke. I hated the kid… I hated him more than dresses or the people of Yulia City.

The feeling had bloomed out of my heart so naturally it scared me. So strong it felt as if it was powered by someone else's hatred, true hatred. Hatred only a full grown adult could spawn, and yet, it had all flourished out from a small girl's body. Too weak and naïve to know hate that strong was like poison, a type of poison that could spread through one's body and kill the goodness. The kind of poison Van was made of…

But I didn't know that at that time, I was just scared, and the trees at the other side of the garden were pressing in, it almost looked liked like a real forest. The trees were so closed one to another that the watchers of the night and the moon were covered by the thick body of leaves that hung above. The air was cold and the shadows of the darkness were prominent here.

I began to panic, and ran faster, thinking I would find an exit, though I was probably running in circles for all I knew. I pushed away dry bushes and stupid pine branches that got in my way; the anguish was rising, just as the beating of my heart.

Air was coming out of my lungs in form of desperate gasps; the crunching sound the dry leaves made as I ran by was driving me crazy, thinking someone was following me. My escape came to an end when I bumped into a small shadow; the impact was so hard I knocked off whatever that _thing_ was.

Both, shadow and I landed on a nearby pile of dry autumn leaves, me on top of the other. The leaves cushioned our fall with a loud crunch. The shadow screamed, once… twice, and then I lost count.

_He_ squirmed underneath me and managed to crawl as far as to pin his back to the nearest tree. I pushed my face away from the cushioned ground and shook my head before looking at the young boy, a boy with golden locks and deep bluish-gray eyes.

The panic that had been ruling over me vanished as soon as he came to view, I was glad to know I wasn't alone. However, that wasn't the boy's case -he looked terrified. I pushed my feet underneath my body and dusted off my dress.

"I'm sorry," I began, moving towards him, "It wasn't my-"

"Ahhhh – Ahhhh – G-Get away from me!" The boy stammered, crawling away even more.

"Huh?" I stared blankly at him for a second; the boy was definitely older than me and his reaction was… quite unexpected. He was what? Two years older? But I was almost positive that all those girly screams had came out from his throat, the frighten look he was giving me was all I needed.

"Are you ok? Did you get hurt?" I took another step but he backed away again, I frowned.

"Y-You – You are a girl." He protested.

I rolled my eyes and pressed my fists against my waist, well of course! "Oh really? Did the dress give me away?" I snorted.

The boy pouted and got up to his feet, he looked a bit more calmed after making sure I wasn't going to get any closer to him. "Van said he would bring "Jude" to the manor. He never said anything about you being a girl."

"Huh? You know Van? And, my name…"

"I'm a servant to this manor. Everyone has been talking about the bluehead that attacked Luke. I suppose it's you… because of your hair of course."

"Oh…" I fidgeted with the end of my dress and sat on a nearby rock, the fight seemed like a far off memory in that instant but it still had a weight to it, shame. "Well… he started it. He said mean things to me but no one seems to care, it has always been like that…" The boy took a tiny step towards me. "I want to go home…" I mumbled. "Tear should have come…"

The boy took another step and this time, I looked up at him. It made him back away again, like a scared cat about to take a bath.

I glared at him. "And what the hell is wrong with you? Hadn't seen a girl before?"

"It's not like that…" The boy blushed with embarrassment. "I can't – girls are…scary." I blinked a couple of times. Was he serious?

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Guy." He replied. Then he turned to the pile of autumn leaves and the scattered ones around, heaving a sigh. "I'll have to recollect the leaves again, I was sent here to do that."

"Isn't it too late for that?" I asked, giving a quick glance at the dull sky patches that could be seen through the thick roof of branches. Guy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly before scowling at the scattered mess of leaves on the floor.

"I was really busy today. They needed my help in the kitchen first and Pierre with the new flowers, then Luke made me play with him the whole day. Duke Fabre expects us to do what he says when he says." He concluded with a shrug. "After all, winter is just around the corner."

I winced at him. "Luke is your friend…" It wasn't a question. He blinked a couple of times before answering.

"Yeah…" After that, came an awkward silence and with the brusque end of our conversation, Guy turned to the pile of leaves and started to rearrange it again. I did nothing but stared at him, how could Guy be friend of…_ that_ thing? How could he be friends with such an egoistic person? That, I would never know. Actually, I was quite surprised that someone like Guy was living here with the Fabre Family, it was odd.

"I hate him." I spat coldly.

"Huh?"

"I meant… Luke, I hate him."

"Oh…" Guy turned away and kept doing his work. He was mumbling something to himself but I didn't ask him what it was, I was curious but something stopped me from doing it. What stopped me? I don't know, maybe it was the creepy atmosphere around us or the screeching whistle of the wind.

"Here, let me help you." I picked up a handful of leaves and tossed them on the pile. I glared at Guy for an instant when he stepped away but then, I gave it no importance. I had never met a guy who feared girls before, but I thought that maybe I was uninformed about the people of the Outer Lands and that perhaps, stuff like this was normal.

A few minutes passed and I helped the blondie rake up every leaf from the ground and grouped them over other piles that we had recollected while talking about random stuff. Like how Luke and he played with wooden swords whenever both kids were free to do so, how the maids would tease Guy about how cute he was when he was scared, and about how in some places of Auldrant winter would bring white sprinkles called _snowflake, they_ would fall from the sky until they covered the ground and the crown of the trees.

Still, Guy sounded more interested in the hot chocolate and biscuits that were served in the kitchen around that time of the year. From his point of view, things in the manor sounded different, almost amazing.

Once we were done collecting the leaves, Guy took out a sack and stuffed them inside. With his help, we quickly found our way out from the forest-like garden and the moon and stars shone above us once again. We kept talking as we walked to the manor, though I still felt odd about talking to him from two meters away.

"Oh thank goodness!" Guy and I looked up when Cynthia's voice reached our ears. Remember that maid with the pigtails? The one I couldn't remember her name? Well, her name was Cynthia, though I hadn't remembered yet when she found us that day. She sprinted toward us; her facial expression had changed from anguish to relief in a couple of seconds.

"Cynthia, what's going on?"Guy asked, his voice reduced to girly shriek when she got to close to him.

"You found Jude!" She beamed, then looking at me. "Everyone has been looking for you since you bolted out of Duke Fabre's studio."

"Oh…" I rubbed my forearm, my gaze couldn't meet hers. She probably had been scolded because of me; she was supposed to take care of me after all. Still, Cynthia never mentioned any of that when she took me back to my room, oh and by the way, Guy made sure that the latest news of my reappearance could reach Van´s and Duke Fabre's ears. He also made his nerves a favor by getting away from us as far as possible, that was a great excuse, I'll give him that.

Cynthia and I became really good friends after that day, I still can't point out the real reasons to why we became friends but in the end it was an enduring one, of pure gold. Perhaps… perhaps it was because we both were away from home. She was only fifteen when we met and had come all the way from Belkend looking for work, her family needed the money and a very sick, and merciful Suzanne had grant her the job when there was no one else to ask.

According to what she told me, she had worked in the manor for no more than four months when I arrived. So my company was more than welcomed. I'm glad I met her; she would always have something to talk about, even when the cold winds of winter stroke my face and when Yulia City's memories cut deep through my heart. A city of fools it was, yes, I hated the bubble town, but I was one of them, a fool and fools hardly know what they want.

Van came into my room as soon as the news reached him, but even then, he still had nothing to say. He hugged me, and that was it.

Days passed three or two at most, whenever Luke´s gaze met mine, a battle of glares would start, and if Guy was around, he would always take Luke elsewhere. It was uncomfortable and boring; playing with Guy was impossible either because of his phobia or because Luke was playing with him and "girls" were not allowed in their games.

So I had no other option but to help Cynthia in the kitchen or to spent my time doing errands for her, buying vegetables at the market, spices and other supplies. It was even worst whenever Van had to go to Daath, it would take him weeks to go and even more weeks to come back. It made me feel lonely sometimes and I kept asking me why I had come here in the first place.

But things started to change the day I found Suzanne admiring the selenias we had brought to her from Yulia City. I was minding my own business, walking down the hall when I caught a glimpse of red through the opened door of the manor´s library. I kept walking but a couple of seconds later, I found myself walking backwards to take a better look.

And there she was, staring at the flowers as if they were magical. One of the maids had gladly put them in a vase with cold water. Days and weeks had passed but they look the same, and the rays of sunlight that showered them from the window made them look even better.

I never understood why she never took them to her room if she liked them so much; something about just standing there was obviously mesmerizing to her.

She turned around when she felt my presence. "Oh Jude darling it's you! No, please don't go away, come here, let's talk." I instinctively grabbed a hold from the door frame, cautious and at the same time scared. I thought hard, was trying to remember if I had done something to Luke recently. Seconds went by and I built enough courage to walk past the frame and into the library. She greeted me with nothing else but a smile, a true smile.

Then, she turned and stared at the selenias again. She said nothing for a while, and I played the same game, compared to the selenias, she looked weak and fragile. Her skin was pale, and had dark circles around her eyes; she could barely stand on her own.

"My son says," She began; her voice startled me for a second. "That selenias only grown in the Qliphoth. Is that true?" I could only nod. "I see…"She sighed with a smile. "He also says that even though they are only born in the Qliphoth, they can stay alive for a long time, even when they are cut off the ground, and that some people think they never wither. Is that true?"

I opened my mouth, but I quickly realized that it was the first time I had heard such thing. "What?"

Suzanne covered her mouth and giggled, my reaction caught her off guard apparently and it caught me off guard as well. But sooner than later, I was laughing with her. The mighty star of day was hiding in the distance…

-0-0-0-

I felt the warm rays of the sun hitting me in the face; their heat was warming my skin and blobs of red appeared through my shut eyes. My senses started to come back, one by one and I realized then that I was lying on a bed. I covered my eyes from the sun as I sat up straight, blinking away the weakness from my eyes, the weight on my eyelids almost made me go back to sleep without caring of where I was.

But instead, a strong sound of wood against wood made me jump. When I looked around to see where the sound was coming from, my eyes locked on the nearest window and noticed that a small figure had opened the window from outside.

I rubbed my eyes; I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Oliver? What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer; instead, he rushed towards me and took the air out of my lungs with an embrace. "Oh, Jude, you are alive!" Yeah indeed, I was alive but I wasn't fully aware of where I was.

"Hey, Oliver! Hey, look at me. Tell me what happened, I'm not following!" I frowned. "And weren't you supposed to stay at Yulia City? Wait, are we in Yulia City?" The young boy looked confused; he didn't seem to know what to answer first. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Just tell me, what happened."

"You were following that guy with the mask then, I don't know, you started fighting and people were screaming and then the other one found you ,I wanted to run towards you guys but I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place and I was scared and the people-"

"All right, all right I get it." I growled. Oliver was obviously still overexcited with all of this; the boy had spilled out the beams faster than I had expected. "Ok, so you were there when I saw Jacko walking down the alley. But how did you – where you following us?"

"Well," He fidgeted. "You could say that… I boarded the Tartarus when you guys weren't seeing, I hid in the storage room and when we stopped at Port Belkend, I came after you." Well, that would explain the "paranormal" activity inside the landship, the small shadow and the things that kept disappearing. I mentally facepalmed at the fact that we never noticed his presence.

"Ok…" I growled. What about the fight, where are we and how did we get here?" I was quite worried, I blacked out before I could tell if my arte had been completely effective or not in that last battle.

The pain in my eye was now merely a ghost of what it had been, tolerable. Probably because the attack hadn't been so long ago, wherever the others were, I could still catch up.

"We are in an Inn, I followed them here." Oliver crossed his arm and leaned on one of the bed posts. "They left the port and took you here to the city. I was observing through the window so I couldn't hear what they were talking about. Though I noticed..." He closed his eyes thoughtfully.

I raised a brow. "What? What did you notice?"

"Well," He brought his arms up to the back of his head and made a face, looking unquestionably curious. "The innkeeper looked really worried about you. The others talked with her for a long while." His arms fell limply to his sides again, he added with a cocky smile. "Then again, I might be wrong."

I knit my brows together and slipped out from the bed´s blanket. "You sure are enjoying this journey, huh?"

Oliver moved his brows, up and down several times." You have no idea." I reached for one of his ears and pulled him closer; he almost tripped over his side. "Oww – ah – ah- it hurts!"

"Enjoy it while you can." I said sheepishly. "You had me worried, you know!" Oliver kept whining, but I ignored his pleas completely. If Jacko and Caba didn't mind fighting in peaceful places such as the port, then the risk was greater, and Oliver would certainly get in the way since he obviously needed protection.

My train of thoughts trailed off when the door opened, Oliver jumped with surprise while I glanced back at the woman at the entrance. That must be the Innkeeper, I thought. The woman looked at us with wide eyes, either because there was an unexpected visitor inside her inn or because the guest –that's me– had woke up.

"Jude! Thank goodness!" I was caught off guard when the woman ran towards me and hugged me tightly. "I was so worried about you!"

"Y-You know me?" I tried to pull away but I was trapped between the woman's arms. She gave me a puzzled look.

"Yes…" She pulled away and frowned. "Guy too, and Master Luke…"

I blinked a few times. "Master Luke…" Was she talking about Asch?

"Oh my, so it's true…" She murmured. "You lost your memory… I´m Cynthia…" My eyes widened as I remembered the maid with pigtails in the last memory fragment I had seen. Her brown hair and eyes, features and gentle smile were there, but of course she looked older now, and her hair was now tied in a bun. Of course, she was from Belkend!

"I… I remember you, from the manor." I said. Oliver stared at us with curiosity while a grateful smile appeared across Cynthia´s face. I remembered Jude saying her friendship with Cynthia was strong. Did Cynthia have contact with her before her death?

I bet Guy and Asch must have been taken by surprise with the reencounter, just like me. Poor of her, It was obvious that she didn't know her friend was death, seeing that, both guys must have preferred omitting the "replica Jude" story while telling her that her friend had simply lost her memory. After all, I could pretend to be the original.

"I've been worried about you for almost two years, you stopped coming. Guy told me what happened in the port," She shook her head. "No wonder why the guards of the port came all the way here."

I frowned. "Guards? What are you talking about?"

Oliver gave me an apologetic smile. "I forgot to say, the guards of the port have been trying to investigate who caused all that mess back there. They got some descriptions from a few of the town folks and they are now searching all over the city with the help of this city's guards. I bet they are looking for Jacko and that woman too."

"This is bad…" I bit my lip with remorse, it was my fault. "And where are the others?"

Cynthia crossed her arms. "They said something about going to the Fontech Laboratories. And that they would come back soon."

"I see…" I looked down at Oliver. "What should we do?" But the boy shrugged.

"This is a friend of yours too?" Cynthia asked looking at him.

"Yeah, we met not so long ago." I said. Cynthia looked thoughtful for a second.

"Is he someone you really trust?" She asked. I nodded, a little confused about her questions. She nodded to herself and pulled me to the bed, making me sit on it; she sat next to me, a serious look on her face.

"You might not remember this but the last time you came here… you asked me a favor. You told me: _Cantabile is acting weird, there is a high probability that next time we see each other I won't be able to recognize you. _Then you said I would have to give you a message you wrote on a piece of paper, but that I couldn't trust anybody else, that's why I asked you if you trusted this young man._"_

Oliver got closer and waited for my reaction.

"Wait Jude – I mean, I knew I was going to lose my memory?"I asked. And Cynthia nodded. "But… Cantabile…? Who's that?" Could it be that… could it be that my original knew they would use Oblivion on her? She might have figured that out, but not that they would kill her and transplant her memories to a replica.

"She was your teacher in the Order of Lorelei. You were her apprentice. She was a really serious person, almost scary and one of the Six-God Generals. Still, she would come here with you and eat sometimes. Then you started to come alone… but now that I think about it…"

I leaned forward with curiosity.

"Well," She started. "The last time you came here… you were not alone. There was a man with you, a tall guy; he wouldn't let me see his face though, he was using a hood, it was raining that day and he stood outside while we talked in the entrance."

I frowned. "Do you have the piece of paper here with you? I mean, the message I was suppose to read?" She rummaged through all the pockets of her apron until she took out a small piece of paper.

"I took it out from where I was hiding it when Guy and the others brought you here. Still, I didn't think I would have the opportunity to give it to you with all of them here." She handed me the small piece of paper, it had been folded in half and it had acquired a yellowish tone granted by time.

I unfolded it and read it out loud. _"Daath Cathedral, fifth floor. Room #38, don't be late. And don't forget the letters; they might lead you to Lorelei's son." _I looked back at Cynthia and she shrugged.

"You told me only you could read it. That's all." She sighed.

I was about to ask more questions, about Cantabile, the reunions they had here. Ask her if she had seen anything else that could be suspicious. But when I was about to do it we heard noises outside, when we looked through the window we saw guards going from place to place, looking for us.

I told Cynthia I need to find the others, warn them before it was too late. I promised her I would come back after that and she promised me she would tell me more about Cantabile and the Order of Lorelei.

Meanwhile, Oliver made me promise I wouldn't tell the others he was here. He said he didn't want to go back to Yulia City. He looked so worried about it that I had no other choice but to say yes. Still, he followed me on my way out…

* * *

><p>I shooed Oliver off when the laboratory came to view, if he really wanted to stay undetected by the others, then he had to stay outside. Though I still wasn't sure what was the point of the journey if he would stay the whole time living in the storage room and hiding away from the rest of the party, it sounded uncomfortable but I guess it made him feel good that no one had noticed he was there.<p>

I walked through the echoed halls of the laboratory, wondering if finding Asch and the others would be hard, to be honest I wanted to find them and drag them all the way to the Inn at once, I wanted to know what else the real Jude had told Cynthia. Perhaps my original had found a way to stop Van, from what Cynthia said, she seemed really confident of what she was doing, nonetheless, she was dead now, not a good signal.

I reached another room, an odd one with a flashing light coming from the ceiling, perhaps some type of security mechanism. People were working around me but they never noticed me, or maybe they just ignored me. After that one, I found a door that was clearly labeled "Replica Laboratory"; I was definitely on the right track.

I passed through another room with uninterested scientist before bumping with the party, they were just ahead. I found them in the hall, talking to a bald man, he was really short, almost Ion´s height.

"Hah, so the traitor to Kimlasca still lives here in the city. What a joke." Asch mocked; Kogamaru was resting gingerly on one of his shoulders. I was facing the others´ back, they were not aware of my presence, and of course I didn't wanted to interrupt the discussion.

"What do you mean "traitor"? Natalia asked worriedly, while the others glanced at him, waiting for his answer as well.

"This guy was involved in my kidnapping." I watched as Natalia's body tensed with shock. I immediately knew that the conversation would leave us all a sour taste in the mouth. The label I read before "Replica Laboratory" was enough to figure out what was coming next.

Jade was catching up as well. "Don't tell me you are the one who broke the ban on fomicry!"

"It's just as you imagine, Jade." Asch replied while the old man stared at us ashamed.

"Jade! The Necromancer!"

"Applying fomicry to living creatures is forbidden." Jade greeted him, I was expecting that.

"Every fomicry researcher longs to try it at least once!" The man protested."You are no different, Jade Curtiss! Or should I say, Dr. Jade Balfour! You are the father of fomicry! You made dozens of replicas!" Ooookay… that… I wasn't expecting.

"Jade…?" I was trembling. Asch and the rest turned around, they were surprised to see me there. "What is he talking about?"

"You too?" The old man hissed in exasperation.

"I won't deny it." Jade said fixing his glasses before looking back at the scientist. "I am the one who proposed the principles of fomicry."

"Then you have no right to criticize me!" He spat back.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm not interested in mutual wound-licking." Jade replied calmly. "I have no intention of covering for someone, just because they have committed the same sin as I. I'm aware of what I have done. That's why I forbade it. The replication of living organisms presented both technical and ethical problems. You, a fomicry researcher, should know well the fate of the first replicas of living creatures."

"I-I only… All I did was help with Van´s preservation project!" The scientist whined. "I figured, if all we were doing was recording the replica information…"

"Preservation project?" Asch looked back at me before frowning. "What are you talking about?" Simply hearing those words made me shiver.

"You didn't know?" The scientist asked with a mix of both, fear and exasperation.

"Tell us!" Asch hissed impatiently.

"…I can't. I shouldn't have mentioned it at all." The scientist brought a hand to his face before pushing his way through us to find the exit.

"Hey! Wait!" I was about to run after him but a heavy weighed limb shackled me in place. I turned around and found Asch´s hand on my shoulder.

"I think that's enough for today." His words were heavy as his grip, a sensation of unease in them. I looked at him for a second, then back to Jade, then to Guy and the others. Natalia was frowning and I brushed off Asch´s hand. "Fine." I barked. "We should go back to Inn; the guards of the city are looking for us..."

"Let's get going then." Asch raised a brow, but I decided to ignore the gesture. I knew I would have to talk with Jade later, making a scene there wouldn't have helped at all; at least I had learned a few things about common sense in our journey.

We walked towards the exit in silence; everyone was caught in their own train of thoughts. I had no doubt that everyone had at least one or two things to reflex about. Asch and Guy were the ones that looked even more thoughtful than anyone else. It was hard to believe they had once been friend when they didn't seem to be able to see each other's faces now days.

"This is no good. We are out of fonimin." We all turned around as one of the scientists in the hall shared his preoccupation with one of his mates. "We can't make replicas without it."

"Already?" The other one scratched his beard. "The next trip to Ortion Cavern to collect more is still ways off."

"That cavern itself is convenient, but having to go all the way to Radessia to get to it sure isn't…" The scientist stopped as he watched us eavesdropping, we hurried to the exit as fast as we could and closed the door behind us, hoping this wouldn't cause some sort of problem to us.

"Why is Van collecting replica data?" Natalia asked. "What does he plan to do with it?"

"Well," Anise looked at us cursorily. "I would assume he is going to make replicas."

"Then we have to stop it." I said. Asch nodded.

"…We are going to the Ortion Cavern."

"The cave on the western continent of Radessia?" Natalia crossed her arms uneasily." But why?"

"I presume he intends to investigate the replica issue." Jade commented. "Fonimin can be gathered there. And…"

"And?"

"Well, you know. Radessia is Kimlascan territory. Malkuth can't interfere. Dist was originally a researcher from Malkuth. It's a logical place for him to go after stealing fomicry technology."

"That rat…" I hissed. "He had to be behind this too."

"Enough talk. Let's get going." Asch commanded, but Anise ignored him and looked back at the Fon Master.

"Boooo. Do you really thing we should go, Ion?" Ion gave me a soft smile, though I could see he was worried.

"Yes, for now, let's do what he says."

"I'm getting off here." Guy said, his statement caught everyone off guard, except Jade and me.

"Why?" Asch asked disconcerted, even though he had been treating Guy as bad as he had.

"I'm worried about Luke." Guy replied. "I have to go back to him." I'm not bragging here but I did notice that the relationship between Asch and Guy was way different in my original's last memory fragment. At that time, Guy took care of him because it was his duty, not because he liked him. Luke must have been… different… a real child and not a grown up trapped in the body of a ten year old boy.

"I don't believe you!" Anise hissed. "Who cares about that idiot!"

"I do…" I looked down at the floor and crossed my arms. "I miss Mieu and Tear too. I shouldn't … I shouldn't have said what I said to her…" That part of the memory where the real Jude misses her too… damn it, it made me feel bad.

"Yeah, and like you said, Luke is an idiot, he needs my help." Guy stated. "I don't know what he would do alone. And… I have faith that he can get past this. If Jude can, he can."

"Don't make me blush." I grinned, he stepped back a bit, as if I was about to hug him or something. I would have if Natalia hadn't got in the way.

"Guy! You are Luke´s attendant, and his friend!" She protested. "The real Luke is right here."

"This might be the real Luke. But my friend is that idiot." Guy confessed.

"It's up to you if you want to go back to him," Jade sighed. "But how do you intend to return to Yulia City?"

"…Aramis Spring. It's a cave northwest of Daath." Asch replied coldly. "If the replica comes back to the Outer Lands, he´ll pass through there." Ouch, someone is trying to hurt me.

"Thanks, Asch."

"…Humph. I knew you would choose him."

"Did Van tell you? Well that's not the only reason." In that instant, something small and hard smacked me on the back of the head.

"Owww…" I rubbed my head and found the projectile near my feet, a small pebble. I looked around and found Oliver hiding between some bushes. He was making me gestures and moving his lips silently… Then, he pointed behind him… oh shit.

"Damn it, we need to get out of here! The guards are coming this way!" I hissed.

"Go back to Tartarus!" Guy snapped, taking out his sword. "I`ll lure them away!"

"N-NO, WAIT! Cynthia has more information about Jude!" I stammered. "We need to go back to the Inn!"

"There is no time for that right now!" Asch grabbed my arm and pulled me as the others ran away as well. "Don't let them take you, Guy!" Guy waved his hand dismissively and grinned. I looked behind us one last time, the guards had already spot Guy, standing in a fighting stance, meanwhile Oliver was running after us…

* * *

><p>The City of Fontech, Belkend, that night…<p>

Cynthia was worried, Jude had not returned. Not even Guy, Master Luke and the others, not even the young boy. It was raining outside, a thunder storm lighting the sky now and then, roaring through the wind and whispering grief.

All the guests were sleep now, but her anguish wouldn't let her join them, something terrible had happen, she thought. A thunder illuminated the kitchen for a moment, but the darkness came back seconds after.

Cynthia took a seat in the empty dinner table and heaved a sigh. There was a lot she had to say and she was hoping that she would be able to take off all of it from her shoulders once Jude came back. But no, it was around midnight and no one had come back, the only thing that made her feel better was that the guards were still roaming around, looking for the "criminals" who had destroyed half of the port.

Little did she know that she was the one who was in real danger.

The shadow was swift as a deer, it came behind her and she didn't notice _his_ presence until he clamped a gloved hand on her mouth. Cynthia struggled and whimpered but the masked man showed her a kitchen knife and she stopped, terrified. Even more when he placed it under her chin.

"I hate doing the dirty job, my dear Cynthia…" He whispered to her ear. "It's something I don't normally do, that's Cabaletta´s job…" Cynthia tried to pull away, slowly, but Jacko was strong, even though it seemed he was barely using any strength. "It's really a shame…" He sighed. "You _were _a beautiful woman."

As he ended the sentence, blood spilled the sink and walls of the kitchen. Her body lying limp over his chest. "A real shame…"

* * *

><p><strong> Poor Cynthia.<strong>


End file.
